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THE OLD SLAVE MARKET AT LOUISVILLE, BUILT IN 1758 


























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































HISTORY OF 
JEFFERSON 
COUNTY 



By MRS. Z. V. THOMAS 

#1 




Love thou thy land, with love far brought 
From out the storied past, and used 
Within the present, but transfused 
Through future time by power of thought. 

— Tennyson. 




PRESS OF 

THE J. W. BURKE COMPANY 
MACON, GA. 

1927 























FOREWORD 

F gathering the facts for this little history 
of Jefferson County, I am indebted to Dr. 
Lucian Knight State Historian’s “Legends and 
Landmarks of Georgia”, Dr. George Smith’s 
“History of Georgia”, Evans’ “History of 
Georgia”, and to many friends for courtesies 
in helping me to sources of information. The 
history is very imperfect and abbreviated, but 
it is written in the hope that some other pen 
will record a fuller and more complete ac¬ 
count of our grand old county, which was the 
birthplace of Georgia’s legalized capital, and 
the times following this history-making epoch. 

—Z. V. Thomas. 



OLD SLAVE MARKET. LOUISVILLE, GA. 











\ 






Come, my friends, ’tis not too late 
To seek a newer world—My purpose holds 
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the 
western stars— 

It may be the gulfs will wash us down; 

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles 
And see the great Achilles whom we knew 
Tho’ much is taken, much abides, and tho’ 

We have not now that strength which in old days 
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, We 
Are, 

One equal temper of heroic hearts, 

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will 
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. 

— Tennyson. 




TABLE OF CONTENTS 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Old Slave Market at Louisville_Frontispiece 

Jefferson County Court House_io 

Louisville Academy—Stapleton School_58 

School at Wad ley—School at Matthews_62 

Wrens School—School at Bartow_64 

Confederate Soldiers in Uniform_100 

Historic Marker, Commemorating Burning Yazoo 

Fraud Papers_no 

CHAPTER 

I—Colonizing Georgia_11 

The Yazoo Fraud_67 

Louisville _72 

Wadley _79 

Bartow_81 

Moxley _-_85 

Stapleton_86 

Stellaville _89 

Matthews—Avera _92 

Wrens-93 

Zebina-95 

Bethany_96 

II—War Between the States, by W. L. Phillips-99 

III— Historical Sketch, by Hon. Warren Grice-109 

IV— Jefferson County’s Part in the World War-137 
























JEFFERSON COUNTY COURT HOUSE 
Erected in 1907 , is built of cream colored brick. The massive white 
columns and dignified proportions are well suited to its setting in a large 
oak grove. The late Willis F. Denny, architect, was a Louisville citizen. 
It is situated on the site of the first capital of Georgia. During ex¬ 
cavations for the foundation, old brick and timbers were dug up, and the 
building outline of the old State House found. 






HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


* a - 
CHAPTER I 

COLONIZING GEORGIA 

QVER in England there was a young officer by 
the name of Oglethorpe, who had distinguished 
himself in military service and was elected to parlia¬ 
ment. He became interested in prison conditions, 
and decided that a new country and new surround¬ 
ings would give many men, who were put in prison 
for debt, a new opportunity to make good. 

He, with some influential friends, petitioned the 
king for a grant of land in the new country, America, 
upon which a number of the indigent people around 
London could be settled. The scheme being ap¬ 
proved, the charter of the Colony of Georgia was 
written and received the great seal of England June 
9 > 1732 . 

It has been idly charged that, in the beginning, 
Georgia’s colonists were impecunious, depraved, law¬ 
less and abandoned; that the settlement at Savannah 
was a sort of Botany Bay, and that Yamacraw Bluff 
was peopled by renegades from justice. This is ut¬ 
terly without foundation. The truth is, no applicant 
( 11 ) 




12 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


was admitted to the privileges of enrollment as an 
emigrant until he had been subjected to an exami¬ 
nation and had furnished satisfactory proof that he 
was fairly entitled to the benefits. Other American 
colonies were founded by individuals coming at will, 
without question, and bringing no certificate of pres¬ 
ent or past conduct. Oglethorpe permitted no one 
to join his colonists who was not, by competent 
authority, judged worthy of citizenship. 

Four months were devoted to the task of select¬ 
ing the first settlers for Georgia. Only the best 
among the needy population of England were taken. 
No debtor was taken without the consent of his cred¬ 
itor; no criminals were accepted; and no man was re¬ 
ceived whose object was to desert those dependent 
upon him for support. 

At high noon, on November 16, 1732, the good 
ship Anne spread her white wings and began to plow 
the Thames on her perilous voyage across the Atlan¬ 
tic. There were thirty-five families on board, num¬ 
bering one hundred and twenty emigrants, under the 
personal care of the illustrious Oglethorpe himself. 
Over two months’ time was consumed on the voyage, 
during which period prayers were offered each morn¬ 
ing and evening for Divine guidance that no mishap 
might overtake the passengers on board. On Jan¬ 
uary 13, 1733, the vessel dipped anchor in the har- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


13 


bor of Charleston, and the colonists were given a 
hearty welcome. It does not detract from the gen¬ 
uineness of this greeting to state that Georgia after¬ 
wards became a buffer between South Carolina and 
her enemies, the Spaniards and Indians. The next 
stop was at Beaufort, where the immigrants were 
provided with shelter until Oglethorpe, accompanied 
by William Bull and Jonathan Bryan, of South Car¬ 
olina, could visit the future settlement. They made 
the trip in an Indian canoe, and after winding in and 
out among the small islands at the mouth of the 
Savannah River, they saw, some distance up the 
river, a bluff crowned with pine trees, and at the 
western end a village, which they afterward learned 
was called Yamacraw. The chief of the tribe of In¬ 
dians living in Yamacraw was named Tomo-chi-chi. 
A trading post had been established there by a man 
named John Musgrove, whose wife, Mary, was a 
half-breed. The old chief at first refused to grant 
the request of the Europeans for land on which to 
settle but, through the good offices of Mary Mus¬ 
grove, he finally consented, after which the land was 
surveyed and the party returned to Beaufort for the 
colonists. 

February 12, 1733, the little band of emigrants 
reached the bluff on which the infant colony of Geor¬ 
gia was to be cradled. Four large tents were spread. 


14 HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 

By sunset the baggage was all ashore. Nightfall 
came,—prayers of thanksgiving were offered, and 
under the silent stars was spent the first night on 
Georgia soil. The leaders among the early colonists 
at Savannah were: General Oglethorpe, Captain 
Horton, Henry Parker, John Fallowfield, Col. Wil¬ 
liam Stephens, Patrick Tailfer, Thomas Jones, 
Thomas Chreistie, Richard Turner, Paul Amatis, 
James Burnsides, Peter Morel, Hugh Anderson, An¬ 
thony Camuse, P. Delegal, Walter Fox, Peter Gor¬ 
don, James Houston, Samuel Lacy, John Pye, Joseph 
Wardrope, Thomas Young, the Messrs. Sheftall and 
De Lyons, Noble Jones, James Habersham, John 
Milledge and Dr. Nunis. 

In the next few months more ships bringing immi¬ 
grants arrived at Yamacraw, and Savannah was laid 
out into squares and building lots, and the streets 
named. The name of the town was changed from 
Yamacraw to Savannah. The large grant of land to 
Oglethorpe by King George II. extended from the 
Savannah River southward along the coast to the 
Altamaha River, and from the headwaters of these 
rivers westward, to what is called the South Seas. 
The country was divided into eight equal parts and 
was formed into the province of Georgia, named in 
honor of King George II. Religious liberty was 
given to the settlers except to those called Papists, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


15 


but the church of England was the leading religion. 

The country was divided into parishes: Christ 
Church parish including Savannah; St. Matthew’s 
parish, including Abercorn and Ebenezer; St. 
George’s parish, including Halifax; St. Paul’s parish, 
including Augusta; St. Philip’s, including Great 
Ogeechee; St. John’s, including Midway and Sun- 
bury; St. Andrew’s, including Darien; and St. 
James’, including Fredrica. These parishes were 
established in 1758, in order to facilitate and better 
regulate the government of the colony. Public wor¬ 
ship was ordered to be held at each settlement in 
these parishes. St. George’s parish extended from 
the Ogeechee River on the west to the Savannah 
River on the east, and out of which, later, was 
formed Jefferson, Burke and Screven counties. 

There was no fairer land in Georgia than that 
which was included in St. George’s parish. Great 
bodies of cane stretched along the crystal streams in 
which the bear found his home; on the rich grasses 
thousands of deer fed; the hills were covered with a 
magnificent growth; the forests were like a king’s 
park; there were streams and springs. The cattle 
needed no pasturage except what the woodlands 
furnished. 

It is no wonder that as soon as the land was 
offered to settlers, they came in great numbers. The 


16 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


new comer had only to select the place on which he 
wanted to settle, put down his stakes, and build his 
cabin. He filed an affidavit with the Governor’s 
Council that he intended to settle in the colony, and 
an order was given to the surveyor to lay out two 
hundred acres of land for him, and an extra fifty 
acres for each additional negro he brought with him. 
The land was given away. Life with the early set¬ 
tlers was hard at first. There were no roads, and 
they came with their small supply of needful things 
on pack horses. The cabins were built of round logs 
and covered with split boards. At first the floor was 
of packed clay, the chimneys of sticks and clay. 
Oftentimes not a nail was used in the building. The 
furniture was scanty and made by hand. The long 
gray moss that hung like curtains on the trees in the 
swamps, furnished the couch for the sleepers. Augus¬ 
ta was the trading post, but very little money was in 
circulation. By carrying poultry to market, the 
pioneers secured powder, lead and salt. There was 
plenty game, and turkeys were so plentiful, they 
were caught in pens and their flesh dried. Immi¬ 
gration was large; as soon as the news of the rich 
land was told abroad, many Scotch-Irish people 
came directly from Ireland and settled in the part 
of St. George’s parish that is now Jefferson County. 
Some brought over the spinning wheels they used in 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


17 


Ireland to spin flax, and a few tried to grow flax, 
but the soil did not suit, or perhaps the rough new 
land was not adapted to the culture of flax. Ten 
miles south-east of Louisville stood an old trading 
post that ante-dates the coming of Oglethorpe to 
Georgia. The traditions of the locality indicate that 
at an early period there were Indian traders from 
South Carolina in this neighborhood, and if not the 
first Europeans to establish themselves upon the soil 
of the future colony, they, at least, penetrated fur¬ 
ther into the interior. George Galphin was one of 
this adventurous band. He lived at Silver Bluff, on 
the east side of the Savannah River, where he owned 
what was, at that time, an elegant mansion. 

Galphin carried on an extensive trade with the In¬ 
dians, and was looked upon by them with awe and 
respect. They brought to him their disagreements 
for settlement, and whatever he advised them to do, 
was the final word on the subject. The trading post 
which he established on the Ogeechee River was 
called Galphinton. It was also known as Ogeechee 
Town, and after Louisville was settled, some ten 
miles to the north-west, it was commonly called Old 
Town to distinguish it from New Town, which the 
residents of the locality gave to the future capital of 
Georgia. In the course of time there gathered about 
the old trading post quite a settlement due to the 


18 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


extensive barter with the Indians which here took 
place at certain seasons of the year; but time has 
spared only the barest remnants of the old fort. The 
following story is told of how George Galphin ac¬ 
quired the land on which the town of Louisville was 
afterwards built: Attracted by the red coat which 
he wore, an old Indian chief, whose wits had been 
sharpened by contact with the traders, approached 
Galphin in the hope of securing the coveted coat. 
Said he: 

“Me had dream last night.” 

“You did?” said Galphin, “what did you dream 
about?” 

“Me dream you give me dat coat.” 

“Then you shall have it,” said Galphin, and im¬ 
mediately suited the action to the word by trans¬ 
ferring to him the coat. 

Quite a while passed before the old chief re¬ 
turned to the post, but when he again appeared in 
the settlement, Galphin said, “Chief, I dreamed 
about you last night.” 

“Ugh”, he grunted, “what did you dream?” 

“I dreamed you gave me all the land in the fork 
of this creek”, pointing to one of the tributary 
streams of the Ogeechee. 

“Well”, said the chief, “you take it, but we no 
more dream.” 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


19 


There is every reason to believe that the old trad- 
ng post at Galphinton was in existence when the 
tate was first colonized. The settlement which 
radually developed around it may have arisen later, 
istorians are not in accord upon this point. There 
ere sundry settlers scattered among the Indians, 
nd it is probable Mr. Galphin had around his set- 
ement at Galphinton some of his countrymen be¬ 
fore Oglethorpe came. As early as the time of Gov¬ 
ernor Reynolds, in 1752, therd were grants made to 
nen in the part of St. George’s parish that is now 
Jefferson County. Beyond question, Galphinton was 
:he first locality established in Georgia by white men 
:‘or commerce. At Galphinton, in 1758, a treaty 
as made between the state of Georgia and the 
Creek Indians, whereby the latter agreed to sur¬ 
render to the State the famous “Tallehassee Strip”, 
-etween the Altamaha River and the St. Mary’s; 
but the compact was repudiated by the Creeks under 
McGillivray who was leader in the long protracted 
Oconee War. By a treaty, in 1790, this strip was 
:onfirmed to the Indians, but in 1814, as a penalty 
for siding with the British in the war of 1812, the 
r ndians were forced to cede it to the whites. 

Some eight miles to the north-west of Galphinton, 
trading post was established about the year 1769 
by a band of Scotch-Irish settlers, who called the 


20 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


place Queensboro, in honor of Queen Anne. It was 
located in an angle made by the Ogeechee River 
with a large creek which enters the stream at this 
point. This creek is Rock Comfort, which flows by 
Louisville. The locality was somewhat elevated and 
seemed to meet two requirements; a stronghold that 
could be made secure from Indian assaults, and 
healthy. In the immediate vicinity there was es¬ 
timated to be at one time two hundred families. It 
was sometimes called the Irish Settlement, or Irish 
Reserve, because the majority of the settlers were 
Irish, and most of them came directly or indirectly 
from the North of Ireland. George Galphin and 
John Rae were instrumental in getting them a res¬ 
ervation of fifty thousand acres of land which 
bordered on the Ogeechee River. They were Pres¬ 
byterians by faith. The town survived for a number 
of years, but when Louisville arose two miles off, it 
gradually declined in population until it finally 
ceased to exist. It was not until the Battle of Lex¬ 
ington that the Scotch-Irish settlers at Queensboro, 
in the parish of St. George, renounced allegiance to 
the crown of England. The reasons for the strong 
loyalist sentiment which prevailed in this part of the 
province were numerous. 

The settlers lived on the frontier, constantly ex¬ 
posed to Indian attacks. They needed the protec- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


21 


tion of England. Quite a few were wealthy plant¬ 
ers, who possessed large estates; moreover, they re¬ 
sented a condition of affairs which were laid at the 
doors of the Puritans of Boston, and did not see 
why Georgia should become a party to New Eng¬ 
land’s quarrel. So, following the famous meeting 
at Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah, August 10, 1774, 
a protest meeting was held, in which the resolutions 
adopted at Savannah were condemned as reflecting 
improperly on the King of England and Parliament. 
This was signed by the freeholders and earliest set¬ 
tlers of what is now Jefferson County. 

Jefferson County was laid out from Burke and 
Warren Counties in 1796, and was named for 
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of In¬ 
dependence and President of the United States from 
1801 to 1809. It lies in the eastern part of the 
state, and is bounded on the north and east by Rich¬ 
mond and McDuffie counties; on the west by Wash¬ 
ington, and on the north-west by Glascock and War¬ 
ren; on the south by Johnson and Emanuel. The 
Ogeechee River flows through the county and before 
the Central Railroad was built, was the principal 
medium of communication with Savannah. The sur¬ 
face of the land is elevated, gently rolling, giving 
fine drainage, splendid for farming. Being an old 
county, the soil has been reduced in fertility by in- 


22 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


judicious farming, but the introduction of scientific 
methods in the last few years has restored much of 
the land to its primitive productiveness. Crops can 
be produced everywhere. The main crops are cot¬ 
ton, corn, peanuts, peas, velvet beans, grain of every 
kind, potatoes,—sweet and Irish,—tobacco, berries, 
and fruits of many kinds. Indeed, it would be dif¬ 
ficult to mention anything belonging to this latitude 
that cannot be successfully grown in Jefferson Coun¬ 
ty. Since the appearance of the boll weevil, farm¬ 
ers have diversified their crops, and give much at¬ 
tention to many products which are putting money 
into the homes. Lumber manufacturing has as¬ 
sumed immense proportions, and there are several 
mills in the county. Planting pecan groves is making 
a future bright with promise. Much hardwood tim¬ 
ber is shipped in round logs to various manufactur¬ 
ing plants. There are several farms of dewberries, 
whose owners enjoy a nice profit from their sales. 
Nearly every kind of fruit, except tropical, can be 
grown, and the swamps furnish a variety of wild 
fruits and nuts. The principal minerals are shell 
marl, limestone, burrstone, agate and chalcedony. 
There are several mineral springs. On the line of 
Burke and Jefferson in south-eastern section there 
is a big spring that covers nearly a quarter of an 
acre, and boils up in several places, a clear stream 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


23 


of pure limestone water, with force enough to turn 
a mill. Near this spring there was a stone quarry 
operated by a Mr. Burr, but it has long since fallen 
into disuse. 

Several fine streams of water are scattered over 
the county. Ogeechee River runs entirely through 
the county, from west to east, and has many tribu¬ 
taries. Briar Creek marks part of boundary line be¬ 
tween Jefferson, McDuffie, Richmond and Burke; 
Rocky Comfort, Big Creek, Reedy Creek, and Wil¬ 
liamson Creek are the largest streams, while numer¬ 
ous small streams abound. The Ogeechee River is 
navigable to Louisville. Near Wrens on the farm 
of Mr. John Radford, a bed of clay has been dis¬ 
covered which contains flint and pebbles, useful in 
making road-beds, streets, and for ballast on rail¬ 
road tracks. The stratum is about twelve feet deep 
and covers several acres. It yields about nine hun¬ 
dred cars per acre, and valued at six and seven hun¬ 
dred dollars for the acre. 

The school system of the county is advancing rap¬ 
idly to the most practical and far-reaching plans 
which have matured in the minds of the best thinkers 
of the state. Consolidated schools are the rule, and 
the county is divided into school districts which have 
completed, or have in construction, the most modern 
and best equipped school buildings it is possible to 
plan. 


24 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


The last census gives the county a population of 
twenty-two thousand six hundred and two, with an 
area of six hundred forty-six square miles. It is 
near the central eastern part of Georgia, and is near¬ 
ly twice as long as wide. The Central railroad runs 
through the southern part, the Georgia and Flor¬ 
ida traverses the northern portion, the Savannah 
and Northwestern runs north and south from Sa¬ 
vannah to Camack, while a short line operates be¬ 
tween Louisville and Wadley. This short railroad 
has the distinction of a Sabbath observance, a train 
never having been run on Sunday since the road was 
built and yet it is on a paying basis. 

The old Indian trails leading from Louisville, 
Milledgeville and other points to Savannah and 
Augusta, are now splendid automobile highways. 

The county uses the prisoners to work the public 
roads, and provides a permanent home on the high¬ 
way between Louisville and Wrens where good 
order, neat homes, with sanitary conveniences, and 
electric lights, mitigate the ignominy of their penal¬ 
ties. A home for the destitute and old is also pro¬ 
vided by the county, which is largely self-sustaining. 

The Dixie Highway goes through the county, 
passing through Louisville on to Savannah, and the 
Jefferson Davis Highway is routed from Wrights- 
ville through Bartow, to intersect the Dixie at Bos- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 25 

tick’s Mill, passing on to Louisville, Wrens and 
Augusta. 

There are several historic churches in the county. 
Ways Church, one of the oldest, first called Darcy’s 
meeting house, near Stellaville, was constituted May 
15, 1817. The oldest church in the county, perhaps, 
is Old Bethel, constituted May 9, 1795. These 
churches were originally congregations belonging to 
the anti-Missionary Baptist church, but education 
and a broader love for humanity made a split among 
the members. The antis withdrew, and the Mission¬ 
ary Baptist church began her world-wide program. 
Ebenezer Church, on the road from Louisville to 
Wrens, Presbyterian, is another old church. Mt. 
Moriah, Methodist, in extreme northern part of 
the county, is noted for its camp meetings held every 
summer, including the third Sunday in August, where 
thousands assemble to hear the greatest pulpit ora¬ 
tors in the Methodist church. Here Bishop Pierce 
and his father used to preach, and here friends and 
old acquaintances met to renew friendships and 
memories of other days. 

The leading denominations are Methodists and 
Baptists with Presbyterians in central part of county, 
Primitive Baptists in southern, and a few other de¬ 
nominations scattered over the county. Churches 
for these congregations are accessible, and every 


26 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


section is blessed with some church as a community 
center. The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians had congre¬ 
gations before the Revolution, but churches were 
not erected. The Rev. Mr. Ronaldson was pastor, 
but was a Royalist and was taken captive. After 
being released he left Georgia and never returned. 
After the war ended, the Presbyterians sent to Ire¬ 
land and secured a pastor, Rev. David Bothwell, 
who came to Queensboro in 1790. His congrega¬ 
tion was large and embraced a large scope of 
country. Here he labored for many years, and died 
at the residence of General Jared Irwin, in Wash¬ 
ington County, and was buried there in the family 
burial ground in June, 1801, aged forty-five years. 
He was a man of medium size, rather stout, and was 
a clear, forceful speaker. 

The Methodists and Baptists came after the war 
of the Revolution and so remarkably have they in¬ 
creased, that their followers exceed all others in 
numbers. 

In the southern part of the county, Gen. Solomon 
Wood lived. His home was built on a high knoll a 
mile east of Bartow, on the farm now owned by Mr. 
J. R. O. Smith. Here he built a block house for the 
protection of the people from Indian raids, and had 
a bell made; the shape of this bell is like those used 
for cow bells, and it could be heard about two miles. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 27 

When signs of Indian trouble were seen or heard the 
bell would peal out its warning, and the people 
would seek safety in the fort. General Wood was a 
Revolutionary soldier. He lived to a goodly old age, 
but fell from a wagon while making a trip to 
Augusta or Savannah to exchange produce for plan¬ 
tation supplies, and sustained a broken leg, which 
caused blood poison from which he died. He is 
buried on the high knoll near the old home site and 
his grave is marked by a simple stone. His sons 
continued to live there, until one of the overseers 
began to use guano, when they said if the land was 
too poor to make a crop without guano, they would 
move away. They sold the place to Mr. Spier, who 
in turn sold it to Mr. Samuel Tarver, father of the 
late Judge A. E. Tarver. The bell was sold each 
time with the place, and is now in possession of Mr. 
S. B. Tarver, son of Judge Tarver. It has seen 
many changes. When its career began, this part of 
Georgia was almost primeval forest. Indians were 
numerous, and made the life of the settlers days of 
agony and nights of dread, unless they were for¬ 
tunate enough to make peace treaties with the chiefs; 
and even then, some unruly warrior would slip away 
at times to hold a war dance with himself, as he 
stealthily slipped up on some unprotected home and 
left a wife and child with bleeding scalps, to tell an 


28 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


awful story to the returning husband and father. 
Later, the bell was used on the farm of Judge Tar¬ 
ver to mark the beginning of the day’s work, and to 
call the hands in to dinner. It has been laid aside 
now for years, but is a living link which ties the 
present to a historic past. 

South of General Wood’s fort, across Williamson 
Creek, a party of Indians surprised a home and 
killed the father. They scalped and carried off his 
daughter, but were overtaken by a band of whites, 
hastily assembled, and a battle was fought not far 
from the J. J. Polhill place. The Indians were de¬ 
feated and several killed. The girl was rescued and 
afterwards recovered and married a Mr. Eason. 
She lived to a goodly old age, and was the grand¬ 
mother of Mrs. Uriah Anderson, whose home, near 
Old Bethel Church, is now owned by Mr. Ben 
Kitchens. 

Few counties have sent forth a greater number of 
good citizens whose descendants have scattered into 
nearly every part of the world. Jefferson has been 
more famous for its large planters than for its pub¬ 
lic men, but it has produced not a few of distinction. 

Ex-Governor Johnston was a citizen of Jefferson 
County. He was a native of Burke County, born 
September 18, 1812; graduated from the University 
of Georgia; practiced law in Augusta a short time, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


29 


then moved to Jefferson County, and was early men¬ 
tioned as a youthful giant who fought with burnished 
steel. He was twice governor of Georgia, a senator 
in the United States Congress, judge of superior 
court, nominated for Vice-president of the Confeder¬ 
ate States, and was a member of the famous Georgia 
convention which met in Milledgeville January 16, 
18 61, to decide whether or not Georgia should 
secede from the Union. After the war, he was 
again elected with Alexander Stephens to the Unit¬ 
ed States Senate, but they were not allowed to take 
their seats because Georgia had not complied with 
all the requirements put on her by the Federal gov¬ 
ernment, chief among which was ratifying the 
fourteenth amendment, conferring citizenship on the 
negroes, so lately slaves. 

Ex-Governor Johnston doubted the wisdom of 
secession, and took no active part in affairs during 
the war. He returned to his plantation, near Bar¬ 
tow, and to his home, Sandy Grove, which was filled 
with many interesting things connected with his 
eventful life. He was serving as judge of the supe¬ 
rior court when he died. Judge Johnston was 
famous for his power as a platform speaker, for his 
deep devotion to his friends and intense hatred of 
his foes. He married a Miss Polk, a niece of Pres. 
James K. Polk. Governor Johnston is buried in 


30 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


what is called the New Cemetery in Louisville. A 
monument marks his grave, having on it the simple 
inscription^ “Ex-Governor Herschel V. Johnston, 
Born in Burke County, Ga., Sept. 18, 1812; Died in 
Jefferson County, Ga., Aug. 16, 1880.” 

Hugh Lawson, whose father came into Georgia 
from North Carolina before the Revolution, a cap¬ 
tain in the Revolution, one of the commissioners for 
the sale of confiscated property and for selecting the 
place for a State-house, and one of the trustees of 
the University, was brought up in this county. 

Judge Roger Lawson Gamble, who was a member 
of Congress, long lived in Louisville. 

Chesley and Littleberry Bostwick, both officers in 
the Revolution, lived in the county; also the Cobbs, 
Lamars, Rootes and Flournoys. Capt. James Mer¬ 
iwether, a brave Revolutionary soldier from Vir¬ 
ginia, died in this county October 25, 1817. Gen. 
George Stapleton, another Revolutionary hero, a 
Virginian by birth, settled in the county and reared 
a large family. He died May 30, 1832. 

Maj. John Berrien, father of the Hon. John M. 
Berrien, at the dawn of the Revolution visited Geor¬ 
gia, and at the age of fifteen was appointed a lieu¬ 
tenant in the First Georgia Regiment, and was pro¬ 
moted to a captaincy in the same. When General 
McIntosh was appointed to a command in the 


HISTORY OP JEFFERSON COUNTY 


31 


Northern army, Major Berrien was selected by him 
as brigade major, and in that capacity he joined the 
grand army at Valley Forge. He was wounded at 
the battle of Monmouth and decorated by Washing¬ 
ton with the order of Cincinnati, and later became 
president of the Georgia branch of this organiza¬ 
tion. The emblem of this order was an eagle. 
Major Berrien was born in the famous Berrien man¬ 
sion, near Princeton, N. J., from which Washington 
issued his farewell orders to his army at the close of 
hostilities. He lived several years in Louisville, but 
died in Savannah. 

Benjamin Whitaker, speaker of the Georgia 
House of Representatives for a long time, lived and 
died in Jefferson County. United States Senator 
Gunn also lived in Louisville, and is buried in the old 
cemetery there. 

Governor Howell Cobb and Gen. T. R. R. Cobb 
were natives of Jefferson, but were reared in Clark 
County. Howell Cobb, Sr., an uncle of the Gover¬ 
nor, resided in Jefferson. He was a member of 
Congress 1807-1811. 

One of the early settlers of Jefferson was Am¬ 
brose Wright. His son, Major General A. R. 
Wright, became an officer of high rank in the Con¬ 
federate Army, and an officer of distinction. The 
present Comptroller-General of Georgia, William 


32 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


A. Wright, who has held this office for thirty-six 
years, is a grandson. A brother of Gen. A. R. 
Wright, Col. H. G. Wright, was a native of Jef¬ 
ferson and has several descendants living in Louis¬ 
ville. 

Daniel Hook, an eminent pioneer minister of the 
Church of the Disciples, resided for several years at 
Louisville, where his distinguished son, Judge James 
S. Hook, Commissioner of Education, jurist and 
scholar, was born. 

The celebrated Patrick Carr, who is said to have 
killed one hundred Tories with his own hand, lived 
and died in Jefferson. He said he would have made 
a good soldier, but the Lord made him too merciful. 

Among the other soldiers of the War of Inde¬ 
pendence who came from this immediate vicinity 
were: Gen. Solomon Wood, a captain in the Revo¬ 
lution, afterwards a general of militia; Aaron 
Thomlinson, an officer under General Green; Ches- 
ley Bostwick and Littleberry Bostwick, both officers; 
Seth Pearce and William Lyon. Chief-Justice 
James Jackson, a grandson of the old governor, was 
a native of Jefferson. Here also lived Brigadier- 
General Reuben W. Carswell, a distinguished Con¬ 
federate soldier and a jurist of note. Dr. Tilman 
Dixon, of Louisville, was a student at Richmond 
Academy during General Washington’s visit to 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 33 

Georgia, and being an honor boy, received an auto¬ 
graphed book from the General. 

Capt. James Meriwether and George L. Staple- 
ton, Sr., were Revolutionary patriots, and served 
their country with honor and distinction. John Peel, 
and an old patriot by the name of King, whose grave 
in the old cemetery at Louisville is said to be in a 
neglected condition, were also Revolutionary heroes 
of Jefferson County. 

In 1810 the population of the county was 3,775 
free, and 2,336 slaves; in 1830, 3,662 free and 
2,647 slaves, and in 1850, 3,717 free and 5,637 
slaves. As the records show, the number of slaves 
increased rapidly after the invention of the cotton 
gin by Eli Whitney in 1792. The owners of large 
plantations moved to the cities and left the farms in 
charge of overseers, who cultivated mostly cotton, 
the work being done by the slaves. The history of 
the invention of the cotton gin is as follows: Eli 
Whitney, at the time of inventing the cotton gin, 
was a guest at Mulberry Grove, near Savannah, Ga., 
the home of Gen. Nathaniel Green, of Revolution¬ 
ary fame. After the death of the General, his 
widow married Phineas Miller, tutor to Gen. 
Green’s children, and a friend and college mate of 
Whitney’s. The ingenuity of the Yankee visitor, as 
exhibited in various amateur devices and tinkerings 


34 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


about the premises, inspired the family with such 
confidence in his skill that, on one occasion when 
Mrs. Miller’s watch was out of order, she gave it to 
Mr. Whitney for repair, no professional watch¬ 
maker being within reach. Not long after this a 
gentleman called at the house to exhibit a fine sample 
of cotton wool, and incidentally remarked while dis¬ 
playing the sample “There is a fortune in store for 
some one who will invent a machine for separating 
the lint from the seed.” Mrs. Miller, who was pres¬ 
ent, turned to Whitney and said, “You are the very 
man, Mr. Whitney, for since you succeeded so well 
with my watch, I am sure you have ingenuity enough 
to make such a machine”. 

After this conversation, Mr. Whitney shut him¬ 
self closely in his room for several weeks, and at the 
end of this time he invited the family to inspect his 
model for a cotton gin. It was constructed with 
wire teeth on a revolving cylinder. However there 
was no contrivance for throwing off the lint. Mrs. 
Miller, seeing the difficulty, seized a common clothes 
brush, applied it to the teeth, and caught the lint. 
Whitney, with delight exclaimed, “Madam, you 
have solved the problem. With this suggestion my 
machine is complete”. 

In 1828 Mr. John Schley went to Philadelphia 
and bought from Alfred Jenks, of Bridesburg, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


35 


Penn., the first machinery for making cotton bagging 
and spinning yarns ever brought to Georgia. The 
machines were shipped to Savannah, and hauled by 
wagon two hundred miles to the interior of the 
state into Jefferson County. There, on Reedy Creek, 
Mr. Schley established his factory. The journey 
from Louisville to Philadelphia took Mr. Schley six 
weeks of constant travel on what was then known as 
the Alligator line of stage coaches. In his factory 
Mr. Schley ran four looms for weaving cotton bag¬ 
ging, making from 300 to 400 yards a day. Of yarns, 
he spun from 200 to 300 pounds per day. For this 
he received from $1.00 to $1.50 a pound; the market 
being among the country people who worked it up 
into homespuns. In 1834 Mr. Schley moved his 
factory to Richmond County, and named the new 
site Bellville. 

In 1777, in the city of Savannah, the first Con¬ 
stitution of the State of Georgia was adopted. 
Among other things provided for the welfare of the 
citizens was the requirement, that schools should be 
provided in every county in the state. 

In 1786 Governor Telfair was elected governor 
of Georgia. The law-making powers had assembled 
alternately in Savannah and Augusta, but these 
places were so distant for representatives from the 
northern section of the state to reach, that Governor 


36 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


Telfair appointed three commissioners to select a 
place for the state capital, as follows: Nathan Brow- 
son, William Few, and Hugh Lawson. These men 
were also to provide for the erection of a building 
for the various departments, and for establishing a 
State University. The capital and university were 
to be in twenty miles of Galphinton which was at 
that time near the center of population in Georgia. 
The town was to be called Louisville. It was named 
Louisville, for Louis XVI. of France. The commis¬ 
sioners were authorized to buy one thousand acres 
of land and to lay out a part thereof for a town 
which should be known by the name of Louisville. 
Various causes hindered the completion of these 
plans—lack of sufficient funds, and the death of the 
contractor during the construction of the State 
House; but finally, in the Constitution of 1795, the 
new town was designated as the permanent capital. 
Forty acres had been laid out in squares and streets, 
patterned after the city of Philadelphia, and the 
lots sold at auction. The first report of the com¬ 
missioners was made in 1791, another in 1792, and 
still another in 1793, all of which reports show the 
hindrances that had been met. The contractor, who 
died during the building of the state house, was 
Reuben Coleman. Also suits had been filed against 
the commissioners but finally, with help given by the 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 37 

legislature, they promised to have the work finished 
in two months. This state house was ten years in 
construction, and was the first one built by the state. 
The houses used in Savannah and Augusta were 
rented. In 1796 the seat of government was moved 
to Louisville, and Jefferson County was laid out. 

The first session of the legislature was held in 
Louisville in 1796. It is not known exactly when the 
last session was held there, but a report of the Acts 
of the Legislature printed in Louisville, in 1805, 
records an act passed at Louisville December 2, 

1804, to make the town of Milledgeville the per¬ 
manent seat of government of this State, and to dis¬ 
pose of a certain number of lots therein. Louisville 
must, therefore, have been the capital as late as 

1805, as it evidently took months, at least, to erect 
the buildings, and to prepare the town of Milledge¬ 
ville for the purpose. 

When the capital was removed to Milledgeville, 
the state house was turned over to the county of 
Jefferson. It was used for some years for the county 
court house, but finally it became so dilapidated, that 
it was necessary to replace it with another. This, 
in 1904, was in turn replaced by one of the hand¬ 
somest court house buildings in the state, at a cost 
of fifty thousand dollars. Louisville was not very 
prosperous after the capital was moved to Milledge- 


38 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


ville, until the Louisville and Wadley Railroad was 
built, about 1875, connecting the town with the Cen¬ 
tral Railroad at Wadley. The Louisville Gazette y 
founded in 1796, was one of the pioneer newspapers 
of Georgia. The handsome oak press used in pub¬ 
lishing the Gazette, was bought in England. It was 
afterwards sold to the Georgia Messenger of Ma¬ 
con. According to a local authority, when the pres¬ 
ent court house was built, an excavation was made 
which disclosed the foundation of the old State Cap¬ 
itol; and by a singular coincidence, this corre¬ 
sponded exactly with the plans for the new edifice. 

Among the early settlers were William Hardwick, 
John Fulton, the Clemmons, Pattersons, Roger and 
Hugh Lawson, William Gamble, Captain Haddon, 
Captain Connley, Andrew Berryhill, the Shellmans, 
John Berrien, the Hamptons and the Whiteheads. 
Most of these came from North Carolina, Virginia, 
and North Ireland. Among the latter were Hugh 
Alexander, James Harvey, Z. Albritton, Charles 
Harvey, Thomas Atkinson, Garland Hardwick, 
Dave Alexander, Joseph Hampton, Henry G. Cald¬ 
well, Esq., D. Hancock, Isaac Coleman, William 
Hannah, Isaac Dubose, W. P. Hardwick, Marth 
Dorton, G. W. Hardwick, David Douglas, John 
Ingram, George Evers, George Ingram, John Evans, 
William Kenedy, R. Fleming, John Land, R. Flour- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 39 

noy, William Lowry, John Finley, Samuel Little, 
John Green, James Meriwether, R. Gray, John 
Martin, John Maynard, William Peel, Jesse Pau- 
lett, Love Sandford, Robert Prior, Henry Tucker, 
Jesse Purvis, Andrew Thompson, John Reese, Ben¬ 
jamin Warren, Jesse Slatter, John Warnock, M. 
Shellman. All these received grants of land in the 
county. 

Along the banks of the Ogeechee and on the nu¬ 
merous creeks were large bodies of fine oak and hick¬ 
ory land, and away from them were wide areas of 
pine forests. The first industry of the people was 
stock raising, and little else was attempted for sev¬ 
eral years. Then some tobacco was planted and a 
tobacco warehouse built, located on the Ogeechee, a 
few miles from Louisville. 

The climate of Jefferson County is mild. Lands 
are increasing in value. 

Instances of longevity are the following: When 
the census of 1850 was taken, there were living 
Hannah Young, aged 80; Abraham Beasley, 81; 
Ann Justice, 92; Margaret Stapleton, 82; Joseph 
Price, 82; Patty Collins, 92; Sarah Worrell, 81; 
James Gunn, 81; Mary Patterson, 98; Nancy Davis, 
92; Sarah Marshall, 82; James Sherod, 81; Jane 
Neely, 82; Mille Pierce, 92; Rachel Gordon, 91. 

Most of the early settlers of Jefferson were pa- 


40 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


triots of the Revolution. Following are some names 
of those who received land grants prior to the Rev¬ 
olution, and settled in the township of Queensboro. 
Most of these were emigrants from North Ireland, 
as follows: Z. Albritton, John Allen, David Alex¬ 
ander, Hugh Alexander, Matthew Barr, Samuel 
Barren, Thomas Atkinson, John Bartholomew, 
Mitchel and Thomas Beatty, James Blair, James 
and John Boggs, James Breckinridge, John Brown, 
William Brown, John Bryant, John Bushby, John 
Campbell, John Cary, John Chambers, Alexander 
Chestnut, Isaac Coleman, George Cook, Robert 
Cooper, John Crozier, John Dickson, M. Dorton, 
Isaac Dubose, David Douglas, Robert Duncan, John 
Evans, John Finley, James Fleming, Robert Flem¬ 
ing, Samuel Fleming, Richard Fleeting, John Gam¬ 
ble, Robert Gervin, John Gilmore, R. Gray, John 
Green, David Green, James Haden, Joseph Hamp¬ 
ton, D. Hancock, Robert Hanna, William Hanna, 
William Harding, Garland Hardwick, C. W. Hard-^ 
wick, W. P. Hardwick, James Harris, Sherrill 
Hartley, James Harvey, James Hogg, Henry Hurd, 
John Ingram, David Irwin, Isabella Irwin, Jo¬ 
seph Johnson, John Kenedy, Isaac Laremore, Hen¬ 
ry Lewis, Samuel Little, Matthew Lyle, Samuel 
McAlister, John McClinigan, Elizabeth McClini- 
gan, William McConky, William McCreery, James 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


41 


McCroan, Thomas McCroan, Patrick McCullough, 
B. McCullers, Patrick McGee, Adam Mcllroy, 
James and John McKelvey, Moses McMichan, 
James McMichan, Daniel McNeill, John Mack, 
Patrick Mackay, William Mackay, John Mar¬ 
tin, John Maynard, James Meriwether, Robert 
Miller, John Mineely, Andrew and Matthew 
Moore, Adam Morrison, John Murdock, Arthur 
O’Neil, Jesse Paulett, John and Richard Peel, 
Robert Prior, Jesse Purvis, John Reese, Clote- 
worthy Robson, James Rogers, Robert and Edward 
Rogers, David Russel, Robert Sampson, William 
Sampson, Love Sandford, Joseph Saunders, John 
Scott, M. Shellman, James Simpson, George Thomp¬ 
son, Jesse Slatter, William S. Kelley, Walker Stev¬ 
ens, Edward and George Thompson, John Todd, 
John Toland, James Tonkin, Henry Tucker, Esther 
Tweedy, John Warnock, Robert Warnock, Benja¬ 
min Warren, John Wilson, Seb Witherup, Thomas 
Wolfington, James Gunn, Moses Newton, William 
Walker, and James Corvan. 

Following the famous meeting at Tondee’s Tav¬ 
ern, Savannah, when, on August io, 1774, resolu¬ 
tions were adopted looking toward severing alle¬ 
giance with Great Britain, a protest was entered from 
the Parish of St. George Sept. 28, 1774, condemning 
the action of this meeting, and signed by the greater 


42 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


number of settlers of St. George’s Parish. Despite 
the protest, delegates from this parish were sent to 
the Provincial Congress which met in Savannah July 
4, 1775, at which time the tie of allegiance to 
England was severed; and throughout the Revolu¬ 
tion the Parish of St. George was the abode of the 
most intense loyalty, to the patriotic cause, and the 
theater of some of the most tragic engagements. 

It was at Louisville in 1798, that the celebrated 
convention met, which framed the State Constitu¬ 
tion under which Georgia lived for seventy years. 
Similar gatherings had been held in 1789 and 1795, 
but few amendments were made to the original Con¬ 
stitution of 1777. Previous to this, at a session of 
the legislature in 1789, provision was made by an 
amendment to the Constitution, to remedy any de¬ 
fects. This convention met in Louisville in May, 
1795. Noble Wimberly Jones, of Savannah, was 
elected president and the session lasted three weeks. 

The seat of government was moved from Augusta 
to Louisville at this time, and several constitutional 
changes made. General James Jackson was elected 
governor of Georgia in 1798. He was the idol of 
the people, and his administration was distinguished 
by the adoption of the great Constitution of 1798, 
framed by the convention which met in Louisville in 
May, 1798. This convention was composed of the 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


43 


greatest men in Georgia, men who had steered the 
Ship of State successfully through the recent trying 
years. In the two previous conventions, of 1789 
and 1795, the law-makers had imbedded in the 
organic law a provision debarring ministers of the 
gospel from membership in the General Assembly 
of Georgia. Another resolution to the same effect 
was proposed at this time; but the great Baptist 
divine, Jesse Mercer, was on hand to challenge the 
propriety of such an action. When the resolution 
was introduced, he at once proposed to amend by ex¬ 
cluding also doctors and lawyers. He succeeded in 
making the whole affair so ridiculous that the matter 
was finally dropped; and since 1798 the legislative 
doors have swung wide open to representatives of 
the cloth. It was in May of 1798 that the Constitu¬ 
tional Convention met in Louisville, and elected 
Jared Irwin president. It remained in session three 
weeks and the task of considering the Constitution 
which the state required, after the Constitution of 
the United States was adopted, was perfected, duly 
signed, and became the fundamental law of Georgia. 
At this session the Yazoo papers were burned. 

The State Legislature again met in Louisville the 
second Monday in June 1799. The twenty-four 
counties of the state were represented by twenty- 
four senators and seventy-five representatives. An 


44 HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 

interesting measure was the adoption of the great 
seal of the state. The seal adopted was a circular 
disc, several inches in diameter; on one side a view of 
the seashore, with a ship bearing the flag of the 
United States, riding at anchor near a wharf, re¬ 
ceiving on board hogsheads of tobacco and bales of 
cotton, emblematic of the exports of the state; at a 
little distance, a boat landing from the interior of 
the state with hogsheads, boxes, etc., representing 
intejnal traffic; in the background, a man plowing 
and a flock of sheep under the shade of a tree. The 
motto on this side “Agriculture and Commerce” 
1799. On the reverse side three pillars supporting 
an arch, with the word “Constitution” engraved 
on it, as the emblem of the Constitution, sustained 
by the three departments of the government. The 
words, “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation,” were 
engraved on a wreath around these pillars, one word 
on each pillar, and near the left-hand pillar, a man 
with a drawn sword represented the military defense 
of the state. The inscription on this side of the seal, 
“State of Georgia” 1799. 

This great seal was adopted October 8, 1799, and 
when made it was deposited in the office of the Sec¬ 
retary of the State, to be attached to all official 
papers of the State. The old seal was formally 
broken in the presence of the governor. Quite a 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


45 


romance attaches to the history of this great seal 
adopted by the convention in Louisville in 1799. 

Since the granting of Georgia’s Colonial Charter, 
in 1732, there have been three great seals which had 
to be affixed to the most important official trans¬ 
actions; first, the Colonial Seal or Seal of the 
Trustees; second, the Provincial Seal or Seal of the 
Royal Governors; third, the Great Seal of 1799 
which is still in vogue, linking the Georgia of to-day 
with the Georgia of the eighteenth century, and put¬ 
ting us in touch with the closing scenes of the Ameri¬ 
can Revolution. This great seal was adopted by the 
State February 8, 1799, and, except for a brief pe¬ 
riod during the days of Reconstruction, it has been 
constantly in use for more than one hundred years. 
On account of its extreme age it now makes a very 
indistinct impression and needs to be retouched by 
the skillful hands of an engraver. 

This seal consists of two solid plates of silver, 
each of which is a quarter of an inch thick, by two 
inches and a quarter in diameter. It is kept in the 
office of the Secretary of the State. It was first 
used July 4, 1799. To use the Great Seal, wax is 
rolled into thin wafers, gilt paper, cut circular in 
form, the exact size of the die, with serrated edges, 
is next laid upon each side of the wax wafer; and, at 
the same time, ribbons are inserted between the 


46 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


wafer and paper discs. This done, the wafer is 
placed between the plates of the disc and stamped 
tightly, leaving the devices imprinted on either side 
of the soft wax and revealed, like an engraving, on 
the gilded paper, which is attached by narrow rib¬ 
bons to the document of the State, forming what is 
known as a wax pendant. The custom of attaching 
seals to official documents is extremely ancient, dat¬ 
ing back to earliest manuscripts of record in the old¬ 
est states of the Union; but a method of stamping 
which cuts an impression in the paper to be attested 
is now the custom, and naturally the use of the wax 
wafer by means of ribbons has become obsolete. 
Georgia is the only state that follows the old cus¬ 
tom. It takes twenty minutes to attach the Great 
Seal to a document, and is used only on documents of 
extraordinary character, viz: charters, land grants 
and commissions to public servants including Gov¬ 
ernors, State House officials, Judges of Supreme 
Courts, and Solicitors-General. It is also used in 
attesting every official paper going out of the State, 
but for ordinary transactions the Seal of the Secre¬ 
tary of the State is employed. 

In an old issue of the Louisville Gazette f dated 
February 26, 1799, there was an executive order, 
signed by Thomas Johnson, Secretary to Governor 
James Jackson, calling on all the artists of the world 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


47 


to submit drawings for the proposed new Great Seal 
of the State. An outline sketch was furnished ac¬ 
cording to the terms of the Act, approved February 
8, 1799, and a premium of thirty dollars was of¬ 
fered. The drawings were to be lodged in the Ex¬ 
ecutive Office at Louisville on or before April 20, 
1799. At the same time proposals were to be sub¬ 
mitted for making and engraving the device, and 
July 3, 1799, was fixed as a limit to complete the 
contract. Daniel Sturgis, State Surveyor General, 
made the device approved by the Governor for the 
Great Seal, but the most elegant drawing was sent 
by one, Charles Frazer, of South Carolina, who was 
only sixteen years old. He would have obtained the 
premium but made a mistake by placing all the fig¬ 
ures on one side, instead of making a reverse. This 
Great Seal has never left the borders of the State of 
Georgia, though the impression on the minds of a 
great many is otherwise, attributing to Governor 
Charles Jenkins the rescue of Georgia’s precious 
heirloom from the hands of military usurpers. The 
instrument of office which Governor Jenkins bore 
into exile for safe keeping, was the Seal of the Ex¬ 
ecutive Department. The Legislature awarded to 
this noble old Roman a facsimile of this Seal exe¬ 
cuted in gold, with the inscription, In arduis fidelis. 
The Great Seal was in the custody of Hon. Nathan 


48 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


C. Barnett throughout the entire period known as 
the Carpetbag Regime. He secretly moved it from 
the State Capitol to his home in Milledgeville. 
When Sherman, in his march through Georgia, 
reached Milledgeville he had Mr. Barnett arrested 
and ordered him to surrender the Great Seal, which 
he refused to do, stating that he would die before he 
would betray his trust. He was put in prison, but 
refused to tell where it was. When Georgia re¬ 
sumed her rightful place in the Union, Colonel Bar¬ 
nett restored the Great Seal. He had secretly 
buried it under his house at dead of night, telling no 
one but his wife. 

In the Reconstruction days which followed the 
Civil War, another effort was made to find the 
Great Seal, as some pretense of legal form was 
needed to give authority to fraudulent transactions, 
so an imitation seal was substituted. No expense 
was spared by the Bullock administration to counter¬ 
feit the Great Seal, but when the contrivance was 
finished, it bore upon its reverse side the bar sin¬ 
ister. At first the difference was not noticed, but 
in the course of time it was found that the soldier 
standing between the pillars, “Justice” and “Mod¬ 
eration”, held his sword in his left hand, while in 
the original he held it in his right hand. 

The Judiciary system of the state was revised at 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


49 


the session of the legislature in 1798, and the state 
divided into three judicial circuits—the Eastern, 
Middle, and Western. Jefferson County was in the 
middle circuit, and George Walton was elected 
judge. These judges of the Superior Court were to 
be elected by the general assembly every third year, 
and were required to alternate in the circuits so that 
no two terms of court in the same county should be 
held by the same judge successively. The courts 
were held twice a year in each county, and each 
court had a clerk and sheriff. The office of Attor¬ 
ney-General was vested in one person for each cir¬ 
cuit. There was no supreme court, but the judges of 
each circuit were required to meet annually in Louis¬ 
ville, on the second Monday in July, to make rules 
for the government of the Superior Courts, and to 
determine such points of law as were reserved for 
agreement, and to give opinions on constitutional 
questions referred to them by the Executive. Another 
class of courts were called Inferior Courts. These 
were also held twice a year, in each county. The 
officers were appointed by the general assembly and 
were subject to the rules governing the superior 
court. Justice courts were held monthly in each 
county and had jurisdiction in suits not exceeding 
thirty dollars. - The justices were appointed by the 
Inferior Courts. Greater simplicity in pleading was 


50 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


provided for, and all defects in form could be reme¬ 
died on motion. Another act at this session pro¬ 
vided that the general election should be held the 
first Monday in October, and the voting should be 
by ballot. Members of Congress should be elected 
every two years. The time of the meeting of the 
general assembly was changed from January to the 
first Monday in November. The population of 
Georgia had increased to about one hundred and 
sixty-three thousand, whites and blacks. Cotton cul¬ 
tivation was becoming popular, since the invention 
of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney. Previous to this 
invention, the seed was picked out by hand, neigh¬ 
bors meeting at a specified home at night and hav¬ 
ing pleasant social times while working at the cotton 
in which the young and the old joined. 

At this time the literature of Georgia was in its 
infancy. Only six academies had been incorporated 
in the state: Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Sun- 
bury, and one each in Burke and Wilkes Counties. 
The treaty to ratify the boundaries of Georgia, 
Alabama, and Mississippi was approved and duly 
signed by the legislature in Louisville in 1802. Judge 
George Walton, Judge of the Middle circuit, died 
at his home in Augusta February 2, 1802, and Ben¬ 
jamin Shrine was appointed in his place. As Louis¬ 
ville had proved to be unhealthy, five commissioners 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


51 


were appointed at the 1802 legislative session in 
Louisville, to select a suitable spot at the head of 
navigation of the Oconee River and survey a tract of 
three thousand two hundred and forty acres of land 
to be set apart for a town to be called Milledge- 
ville, for the future capital of the state. 

The military laws of the state were also revised, 
and the state divided into four militia districts, and 
these sub-divided into eight brigades, and these con¬ 
tinued into regiments, battalions and companies; the 
numbers to be enrolled into these several bodies were 
prescribed and the times and places of musters, 
drills and other military duties were appointed. The 
governor was made commander-in-chief. These 
gatherings, composed of so many classes of people, 
were sometimes occasions of disorder, which in¬ 
cluded fights, horse racing, gander pulling and other 
things. Whiskey flowed freely. 

These muster occasions were the inspiration of 
Longstreet’s famous book, “Georgia Scenes,” in 
which the characters were taken from real life. 
Louisville, as the capital of the state, was a great 
gathering place on muster days. The capitol was 
moved to Milledgeville in 1807, and in 1808 the 
legislature took some steps to prohibit the sale of 
spiritous liquors, and the same year the importation 
of African slaves was made unlawful. 


52 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


June 18, 1812, war was declared on Great Brit¬ 
ain, and the arms stored in Louisville were moved 
to Milledgeville. 

In 1836, Hon. William Schley was elected 
Governor. He was educated in Louisville and 
Augusta. Howell Cobb, who was made governor 
in 1851, was born in Jefferson County. In 1853, the 
Democratic party was formally recognized in Geor¬ 
gia, and Herschel V. Johnston was elected demo¬ 
cratic governor. At this time the North and South 
were agitated over the slave question, and states’ 
rights, which grew in intensity, and was the cause of 
bitter sectional feeling. The South stood for sep¬ 
arate State rights, the North adhered to the Union 
and when, in i860 and 1861, the Southern States, 
one by one, seceded from the United States, war was 
declared, and continued four years. The South 
fought under great difficulties, but finally yielded to 
better equipment, and greater forces—many foreign 
soldiers being hired by the Federal government. 

One of the closing scenes of this war was General 
Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah. Jef¬ 
ferson County lay in the path of this march, and 
great destitution of food and clothing followed. 
This was in November, 1864. The men of the 
country were in the army, from boys of sixteen years 
to old men, and only women and children, with most 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 53 

of the slaves, were left on the plantations. Some of 
the slaves had gone into camp with their masters to 
wait on them. The feeling between slaves and their 
owners was like the dependent trust and love of 
children, combined with the protecting care of the 
blacks for their white folks. The white family was 
responsible for the food and clothing and medical 
attention of the slaves; religious services were con¬ 
ducted by themselves, sometimes by the white min¬ 
isters. The slaves, in turn, gave love and service to 
their white folks. This was demonstrated after 
Sherman’s march to the sea, when but for these 
faithful servitors, many a child and the older ones, 
at the “big house”, would have suffered more; for 
negroes have an uncanny way of finding things to 
eat, and they shared it all liberally with their mis¬ 
tress and her children, leaving their own family to 
get what was left. 

Never in all history was shown a closer or more 
tender feeling between two races than was shown 
between the whites and blacks, until after the uncivil 
war. Very few of this type are living, for it is sixty 
years behind us; but, now and then, you will find an 
old “mammy” who, though too feeble to do much, 
still comes among the children of her white folks and 
putters around, knowing at the close of the day, 
when she goes home, the empty basket she brought 


54 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


in the morning will be filled to capacity with sub¬ 
stantiate. 

Because Jefferson County had a part in the work 
of evangelizing the negroes, an article from the 
“Blue Book of Southern Progress,” issued by the 
Manufacturers Record of Baltimore, Maryland, is 
inserted: “One phase of Southern life of olden days 
needs to be told and retold. This is the religious 
spirit which prevailed among people of all classes. 
With a profound conviction of their responsibility to 
God and to the negroes, people of the South, be¬ 
tween 1800 and i860, did the greatest missionary 
work in human history. There is nothing compar¬ 
able to it. Slaves just from the jungles of Africa 
representing many tribes, tribes which had fought 
each other—some of which had been cannibalistic 
in spirit and in act; tribes which could not speak the 
language of other tribes, were brought to this 
country. 

“The slave-trader or slave-importer was not gen¬ 
erally of Southern birth, but wherever he might hail 
from, whether from New England or England, or 
other lands, he was thoroughly despised by the peo¬ 
ple who bought slaves from him. Taking these 
negroes just from barbarism, absolutely without ed¬ 
ucation or any knowledge or conception whatever 
of God, the Old South concentrated its energy upon 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


55 


teaching them the story of the redeeming power of 
the Cross of Christ. Hundreds of thousands of 
these men and women black in face became white in 
heart. No more consecrated, devoted Christians 
have ever been known than many of these negroes to 
whom the Gospel of Christ was preached in the 
home and in the church by the men and women of 
the Old South. There were four million negroes in 
the south in i860; all of them had been civilized 
and a very large proportion had been evangelized. 
Most of them had learned to love and respect their 
owners, and between owner and slave there was a 
spirit of actual devotion on both sides far greater 
than any but Southern born people have ever con¬ 
ceived of. The man who loves his faithful dog 
would fight to protect his dog against a brute, just as 
freely as the dog would fight to protect his master. 
There is a love between the dog and his master 
beautiful to behold, impossible to adequately de¬ 
scribe. A greater love existed between most owners 
and their slaves. To a large extent each would pro¬ 
tect the other against an enemy. It was a peculiar 
relation that had some elements of love and devo¬ 
tion on both sides which few outside people have 
ever understood.” 

As a lion defeated once, rises and shakes him¬ 
self to renew the battle, so the men, straggling home 


56 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


from battlefields in 1865 adjusted a new perspective 
to the desolate situation and plunged in to begin 
anew in untried ways, the effort of providing for 
themselves and family. 

On many big plantations the negroes had re¬ 
mained, except some younger ones; with these, their 
former owner, if he returned from the war, made 
arrangements to run a little crop, provided some¬ 
thing in the way of an animal to pull the plow could 
be found, for nearly everything had been killed or 
driven off by Sherman’s army. Sometimes a few 
cows and horses had been hidden by some faithful 
slave and were brought home after all danger was 
over. Often a milch cow was hitched to the plow, 
then milked at night to furnish food for the children. 
The heroic work and sacrifices of widows left with 
little children can never be recorded on earth. The 
people spun and wove cloth, both cotton and wool, 
for clothing; and many were the experiments in 
dyes and weaving to make unusual results. Shucks 
from corn were made into hats as well as other 
materials. The negroes used a great deal of wire 
grass, a native forest grass of this section, for 
baskets and other objects. Nearly every farm of 
good size had a small vat in which to tan leather for 
making shoes. 

There was very little money in the country, and 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


57 


every thing needed, and that could be grown or made 
on the farm, was produced. Flour that could not be 
produced at home, and sugar and coffee, were ob¬ 
tained by barter as in primitive days. Slowly but 
surely the South was coming into her own. Jeffer¬ 
son County passed through this struggle. For a few 
years education was at a low ebb, but a few schools 
that had been established began again to function. 
Louisville had not suspended; Bartow, Stellaville 
and Bethany had good schools, with one or more lit¬ 
tle schools in country settlements. Cotton planting 
again absorbed the farmers who, many of them, in a 
few years accumulated money and some fortunes. 

Other business enterprises came in, saw mills, tur¬ 
pentine farms, cotton seed oil mills, railroads, and 
dairying with various other things, are developing 
the county which, with good roads and good schools, 
together with its fine farming lands, make it the peer 
of any section in Georgia. Here can be raised al¬ 
most any crop that grows in the temperate zone. 
Truck farming is profitable. Dairying and poultry 
raising are attracting much attention, where it is 
easy to raise everything needed for feed. Since the 
boll weevil has infested the cotton fields, diversity 
of farming is practised and made a scientific study. 
The county has for a number of years kept an expert 
farmer in Louisville at the service of every farmer 
in the county. 



LOUISVILLE ACADEMY 



STAPLETON SCHOOL 








HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


59 


Jefferson County, with her five senior accredited 
high schools, stands forth as the leading Rural 
County along school lines in Georgia. 

Education is not sold to a community in one gen¬ 
eration; hence when one considers the progress that 
Jefferson County schools have made during the past 
five years one will immediately say that for the past 
century Jefferson County has been composed of cit¬ 
izens with vision. 

Consolidation in our county has been practiced as 
well as preached. The people have been educated to 
the fact that the small, isolated, lonely, antiquated, 
inefficient one-room school must give way to the 
large, well-equipped consolidated schools, as the ox¬ 
cart has given place to the motor car. 

For the first time in the history of Jefferson 
County the schools opened in September, 1926, with 
all the one-room schools merged into the centralized 
schools. 

Below are given the names of the small schools 
which have been consolidated: Aldred, Black Jack, 
Brinson, Calhoun, Cedar Grove, Dry Branch, Ebe- 
nezer, Hardeman, Harmony, Hadden Mill, Holly 
Grove, Johnson, Lofton, Log Yard, Laurel Hill, 
Midway, Middleground, Morris Grove, Noah, Oca¬ 
la, Ogeechee, Oak Grove, Padgett, Post Oak, Rock¬ 
dale, Stapleton Cross Roads, Swan, Tuckyhoo, 


60 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


Union Hill, Union Institute, Williams, Willie, and 
Woodland. 

Hon. M. L. Duggan, Rural School Agent, 
thought so much of the schools of Jefferson County, 
that he made a stereopticon view to show to the back¬ 
ward counties of Georgia the progress that our 
county has made in consolidation and school build¬ 
ings. 

Jefferson County is proud of her Senior high 
schools. Any boy or girl in the county can reach one 
of these schools in an half hour ride. 

Louisville Academy is housed in a handsome 
$100,000 building, surrounded by a campus of eight 
beautiful acres with spacious grounds for athletics 
and playground. 

This historic school was created by the legislature 
in 1784, the same year in which Franklin College, 
now the University of Georgia, was created. 

Stapleton High School has the unique distinction 
of having erected a $50,000 school building by pub¬ 
lic subscription of her own patriotic people. 

Wrens Academy stands as a monument to the 
heroic and self-sacrificing efforts of Supt. C. C. Mc¬ 
Collum, who has been at the head of this wonderful 
school for the past thirty years. Mr. McCollum has 
seen this school grow from a one-room shack with 
an enrollment of twenty-five pupils to the present 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 61 

handsome structure, with an enrollment of over 400 
pupils. 

Bartow High School is today in one of the most 
up-to-date school buildings in the State, erected in 
1923. 

Wadley High School was the first brick school 
building erected in the county. The people of this 
fine community were not satisfied with the school 
accommodations, so in 1923 a new grammar school 
building was erected, which is the pride of the whole 
district. 

Junior high schools are located at Avera, Grange, 
Moxley, Matthews, Stellaville, and Zebina. 

These schools teach nine grades and have from 
three to five teachers in each school, with a term of 
at least eight months. 

Avera and Matthews schools will soon be housed 
in new buildings, as bond issues were recently held. 

The curriculum in these schools is in conformity 
with the regular work of our Senior high schools. 

Instead of carrying the school to the children, the 
children are brought to the school. All transpor¬ 
tation is handled by Ford trucks with standardized 
bodies; the drivers contract a salary for the year 
and furnish their own trucks. 

There are twenty-eight Ford trucks operating 
daily over the county transporting over 1,000 



SCHOOL AT WADLEY 



SCHOOL AT MATTHEWS 















HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


63 


children to the schools. Over one-half of the en¬ 
rollment in our consolidated schools is composed of 
rural children. The average cost per day a child is 
less than ten cents. 

Competent drivers and good roads enable our 
trucks to make schedule time and also guarantee to 
the parents the safety of their children. 

It is not a question now of getting people to send 
their children to school; the great problem is to ad¬ 
equately care for the ones that are sent. All of our 
schools are crowded to capacity and the teachers 
are burdened with large classes. 

Parents who have been sending their children on¬ 
ly six months to the small schools are now sending 
them nine months, as they readily see the great op¬ 
portunities that are placed before their children. 

Our five high schools enroll eighty per cent, of 
the 2,700 white children in the county of school age. 
Louisville Academy has an enrollment of 450 pupils; 
250 of this number are transported in the seven 
Ford trucks that operate to this school. 

Wadley and Bartow schools have each enrolled 
350 children with fifty per cent, of them coming 
from the country. 

Stapleton, with an enrollment of 275 children, has 
over 125 from the rural districts. 

Wrens Academy, with an enrollment of over 425 



SCHOOL AT BARTOW 







HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


65 


children, has over fifty per cent, from the country. 

Louisville Academy has won literary honors for 
the past three years in the County Meet. In the 
Tenth District Contest in 1924, Louisville won the 
Literary Cup. A County Meet is held each year; 
all the schools of the county gather for athletic and 
literary contests. The interest of the teachers and 
children is stimulated weeks before the contests and 
the schools of the county are kept before the public 
eye. 

Stapleton High School has always made credit¬ 
able showing both in literary and athletic events. 
Stapleton won the County Basketball Cup recently, 
and the Augusta Trade District Cup the year pre¬ 
vious. 

Wrens High School won the County Basketball 
Cup in 1925, and the Tenth District Cup in 1926. 
Wrens school also won the Athletic Cup in the 
Tenth District Contest in Warrenton in 1925. 

All teachers of Jefferson County have enrolled 
one hundred per cent, in the Georgia Education 
Association for the past three years. 

The financial condition of a county always reflects 
upon the efficiency or inefficiency of the County 
Board of Education. Over $125,000 is spent an¬ 
nually for the maintenance of the schools. In ad¬ 
dition to the county-wide tax of five mills that is 


66 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


levied, the thirteen local school districts levy five 
mills for administration of the schools. 

All money raised to finance the $500,000 invested 
in school buildings is raised by bond issues in each 
local district. 

Money for education is as much a preventive ex¬ 
pense against ignorance and crime as the dollars 
spent on the army and navy prevent war. 

The equalization of educational opportunities for 
all children is at last coming to be realized in our 
county. The child in the remotest country district 
has access to as good school in Jefferson County as 
the one born and bred in the largest towns of the 
county. 

Our school system has developed a splendid com¬ 
munity spirit and has broken down the long-standing 
barrier that has existed between the country and the 
town. The happy result of the $250,000 bond elec¬ 
tion for Good Roads last November has proven the 
above statement. 

Three of the five accredited high schools in the 
county are on a paved road known as Federal High¬ 
way No. 1, which runs from Fort Kent, Maine, to 
Miami, Florida. The present generation, and gen¬ 
erations to come, will always sing praises to Hon. 
J. R. Phillips, member of the State Highway Com¬ 
mission, for his untiring efforts in getting this main 
thoroughfare through the county. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


67 


The experience of Jefferson County with the dis¬ 
trict and consolidated system has been most happy; 
and it is hoped that our entire rural school system 
throughout the State will be developed along the 
lines outlined in this short history. 

THE YAZOO FRAUD 

The territory of Georgia extended to the Missis¬ 
sippi River on the west. By all the treaties the state 
held all that region in undisputed control. In 1789 
a party of men in South Carolina organized them¬ 
selves into a company, and named their organiza¬ 
tion the “South Carolina Yazoo Company”. It 
was called Yazoo from a river and region of land 
near the Mississippi, once possessed by the Yazoo 
Indians, which this company undertook to purchase 
from Georgia. 

Other companies were formed at the same time 
for the same purpose viz: “The Virginia Yazoo 
Company,” with Patrick Henry at its head. “The 
Tennessee Company” was another corporation. 
These companies made application to the Georgia 
Legislature at the same time for grants of western 
lands. The agents of these companies worked with 
great energy, and much excitement prevailed. Soon, 
another company was formed, called “The Georgia 
Company”. 


68 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


Many began to look with distrust on these com¬ 
panies, while the agents painted, in glowing terms, 
the benefits that would come to Georgia by the sale 
of these lands. 

The Senate passed the bill legalizing the sale of 
Georgia’s western lands after nine days’ discussion, 
and was signed by Governor Walton. By the pro¬ 
vision of this bill, the three companies from South 
Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee—Georgia being 
excluded—received over twenty million acres of 
land in payment of two hundred thousand dollars or 
one cent per acre. This legislation produced great 
indignation in Georgia, but fortunately all the pro¬ 
visions of the grants were not fulfilled, and as the 
companies could not claim their lands, this sale was 
never completed. Other companies sprang up, and 
in 1794 the legislature received new proposals for 
the purchase of the western lands. 

The companies were: “The Georgia Company”, 
“The Virginia Yazoo Company”, “The Tennessee 
Company”, and “The Georgia-Mississippi Com¬ 
pany”. These companies applied for twenty-three 
million acres of land and offered five hundred thou¬ 
sand dollars for it, or about two cents per acre. 
George Matthews was governor. He opposed the 
passage of any bill granting these lands. Every 
argument was used to gain his approval. The bill 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


69 


passed the legislature, but the Governor vetoed it. 
This checked the operations for a time, but the 
agents of the companies persisted with Governor 
Matthews, until he finally signed the act. A few 
days later, another bill was introduced into the 
senate with a new title, but in import the same as 
that which had been vetoed. 

The Senate passed the fraudulent bill, and it re¬ 
ceived the signature of the Governor. The four 
companies who received land under this grant were, 
“The Georgia Company”, “The Georgia-Mississippi 
Company”, “The Tennessee Company”, and the 
“Upper Mississippi Company”. Thirty-five million 
acres of land were sold for five hundred thousand 
dollars, or for one and a half cent an acre. 

Intense excitement prevailed, and great indigna¬ 
tion expressed against the legislature, and the execu¬ 
tive legislators were accused of bribery. William 
H. Crawford took an active part in the opposition, 
as did other men of prominence. The Georgia Sen¬ 
ators in Congress were James Gunn and James Jack- 
son. Mr. Gunn had accepted a prominent place in 
one Yazoo Company and, when he came home, 
found himself in great disfavor. Mr. Jackson vio¬ 
lently opposed the scheme and when the bill passed 
and became a law, he resigned his seat in the senate, 
and returned to Georgia to fight the Yazoo fraud. 


70 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


He was elected to the legislature, which was to meet 
the second Tuesday in January, 1796, in Louisville, 
the new capital of Georgia. The Legislature as¬ 
sembled, Governor Matthews sent a message ex¬ 
plaining the state of affairs, and advised them to re¬ 
peal the Yazoo Act of the past legislature. He 
told them the various companies had paid into the 
treasury the amount required, had cancelled all mort¬ 
gages, and were in full possession of the land. The 
case had become complicated, and required careful 
legislation. On January 5, 1796, Jared Irwin was 
elected Governor. Both branches of the legislature 
had been elected, pledged to repeal the Yazoo Act. 
A committee of nine persons was appointed to in¬ 
vestigate the validity and constitutionality of the 
act, of which committee, James Jackson was chair¬ 
man. The committee reported that the fraud and 
corruption by which the said act was obtained, made 
it a nullity itself and not binding or obligatory on 
the people of the state. 

A bill drafted by James Jackson, known as the 
Rescinding Act, was passed by both houses and 
signed by Governor Irwin Feb. 13, 1796. This Act 
states the fraudulent grounds upon which the Yazoo 
lands were obtained, and further declares it to be 
the sense of Georgia that the Yazoo Act is not bind¬ 
ing upon the people, and that the money paid into 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


71 


the treasury be refunded, and the grants considered 
annulled. A day or two after the passage of the Re¬ 
scinding Act, it was determined to burn the Yazoo 
Act, and purge the records of everything relating to 
it. On Feb. 15, 1796, it was ordered by the legisla¬ 
ture that a large fire be kindled in front of the State 
House, lit from the sun by a burning glass, in order 
to use fire from heaven to burn the obnoxious papers. 
The Senate and House met in the Representative 
Hall, and marched out in procession to a place be¬ 
fore the capitol. 

When they reached the fire, they formed a circle 
and reverently removed their hats. The committee 
appointed to obtain the papers and records handed 
them to the President of the Senate, that officer de¬ 
livered them to the Speaker of the House; from his 
hands they passed to the Clerk and finally into the 
hands of the Messenger. The Messenger ap¬ 
proached the fire and uttered the words: “God save 
the State, and long preserve her rights; and may 
every attempt to injure them perish as these corrupt 
acts now do”. After which, he threw the papers 
into the fire, where they were consumed to ashes. 

After this exhibition of scorn at official dishonesty 
the members slowly marched back to the house and 
resumed work. The persons who were interested 
in the Yazoo sales took offense at this act of the 


72 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


legislature and united in a powerful effort to defeat 
the operation of the Rescinding Act. This was 
finally carried into United States Congress, and com¬ 
missioners were appointed by the government to 
meet commissioners from Georgia, and settle the 
difficulty. An agreement was made several years 
later. Jackson, Milledge, and Baldwin represented 
Georgia and, in 1802, Georgia ceded to the United 
States all the territory now embraced by Alabama 
and Mississippi, and the Yazoo titles were turned 
over to the Government. The money that had been 
paid into the treasury of Georgia was refunded to 
the companies who had an interest in the Yazoo 
lands, and the United States paid to Georgia one 
million five hundred thousand dollars. 

LOUISVILLE 

The legislatures had been meeting alternately, 
when possible, in Savannah and Augusta since Geor¬ 
gia was colonized, with a few exceptions, when it 
met in one or two other places. The inconvenience 
of getting to Savannah, from the up-country sec¬ 
tions, caused a discussion about moving the assembly 
to a more convenient place of meeting. On January 
26, 1786, when the Legislature met in Augusta, the 
following commissioners were appointed to select a 
location, viz: Nathan Brownson, William Few and 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


73 


Hugh Lawson. They were instructed to find a site 
“most proper and convenient” for the end in view, 
whereon to erect public buildings; and, by way of 
further stipulations, was added the clause, “pro¬ 
vided, the same shall be within twenty miles of Gal- 
phin’s Old Town”. On fulfillment of these con¬ 
ditions, they were authorized to buy one thousand 
acres of land and to lay out a part thereof into a 
town, “which should be known by the name of 
Louisville”. Many difficulties hindered the com¬ 
pletion of these plans, but finally, in the Constitu¬ 
tion of 1795, the new town was designated as the 
capital. 

One of the first things to occupy the attention of 
the people after establishing Louisville as capital 
was the cause of education. When, in 1796, the 
new county was laid out from Warren and Burke, a 
provision was made for establishing a school in 
Louisville to be a branch of the State University at 
Athens, founded in 1785. The school at Louisville 
was one of a group established about this time by the 
Legislature as feeders to the University, and is 
probably one of the oldest in Georgia. The com¬ 
missioners to organize the academy were: David 
Bothwell, John Shellman, James Meriwether, John 
Cobb and Josiah Sterrett. 

The town was laid off after the pattern of Phila- 


74 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


delphia, the streets running north and south, east 
and west. Town lots were sold and most of pro¬ 
ceeds used for the Academy. A grant of one thou¬ 
sand pounds sterling from confiscated property was 
also donated by the government. Many distin¬ 
guished men moved to the capital, and here were 
enacted scenes that have made Georgia history un¬ 
paralleled. Among one of the most important acts 
was burning the papers of the Yazoo Fraud in front 
of the State House which stood where the present 
court house stands. Presbyterians were the first to 
establish congregations in Louisville. These were 
followed by the Methodists and Baptists. 

The first church in Louisville was built by Joseph 
Gamble, the father of Roger Lawson Gamble, Sr., 
and was on the lot where the public school stood be¬ 
fore it was moved to its present site. It was after¬ 
wards surrendered to the Methodists, but on their 
securing a lot of their own, the old church, much 
dilapidated, was torn away. There are splendid 
churches now, Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist, 
and an elegant and commodious brick school build¬ 
ing recently completed. The wide, shady streets, 
beautiful homes with well kept lawns, and a hos¬ 
pitable people, make Louisville an attractive place 
for a home-seeker. 

Several industries flourish here, among which are 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


75 


an oil mill, guano mixing plant, planing mill, ice fac¬ 
tory, good mercantile houses, and two banks. The 
population of the town is about fifteen hundred. The 
Dixie and Jefferson Davis Highways pass through 
this town. 

The Louisville Gazette, founded in 1796, was one 
of the pioneer newspapers. The handsome oak 
press, purchased in England, used in publishing the 
paper, was afterwards sold to the Georgia Mes¬ 
senger at Macon. The Gazette has long since yield¬ 
ed place to the News and Farmer, the official organ 
of Jefferson County. 

The Louisville and Wadley Railroad has its ter¬ 
minus here, and belongs to a class all alone, as it is 
not operated on Sunday. The road is on a paying 
basis. So much for Sabbath observance. Artesian 
water has improved the health of the town until it 
compares well with any section. A modern tourist 
hotel has just been completed on Broad Street. 

On the principal business thoroughfare of Louis¬ 
ville, there stands one of the most historic structures 
in America: the old Slave Market. It is one of the 
very few buildings of this character which time has 
spared. Around it cluster the fading memories of 
an old regime; and with the ancient harper in “The 
Lay of the Last Minstrel”, it seems to sing: 

“Old times are past, old manners gone, 

A stranger fills the Stuart’s throne.” 


76 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


There is no one in Louisville who can recall the 
time when the old Slave Market was built. The 
presumption is, therefore, quite strong that it must 
have been erected during the period when Louis¬ 
ville was the State capital and when the town prom¬ 
ised to become an important commercial center. If 
such be the fact, it is not less than 120 years old, for 
Louisville was made the capital in 1795. Indeed, 
the commissioners to locate the town were appointed 
at the close of the Revolution, and the first steps 
looking toward the erection of government buildings 
at Louisville were taken in 1786. The center of 
population at this time was Galphinton, only 
nine miles distant; the planters in the neighborhood 
were large slave owners, some of them old soldiers, 
who were given extensive tracts of land for services 
in the war with England, and the erection of the 
Slave Market can be readily assigned to this remote 
period without the least violence to historic truth. 

The wooden character of the building does not 
weaken the strength of this hypothesis. It was con¬ 
structed of the best quality of post oak; and even to 
this day it is difficult to drive a nail into the tough 
fibers of which the wood is composed. The little 
structure stands in the middle of the street, where 
about it on every side pulses the life current of the 
old town. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 77 

On market days, when crowds gather from the 
surrounding plantations of Jefferson to shop in the 
village stores, when the circus comes to town, or 
when the campaign orator improves the opportunity 
of court week to stir the echoes of the stump, it 
seems to wear something of the old-time look and to 
be dreamily reminiscent of an interest which it once 
attracted. 

For years after the late war, and indeed until 
times quite recent, it was customary for officers of 
the court to conduct legal sales at the old Slave Mar¬ 
ket. It was probably an inheritance from the days 
when slave property was here put upon the block 
and sold under the hammer, but when an issue was 
raised in regard to it, the custom was discontinued. 
While the old Slave Market of Louisville serves no 
practical purpose, it is an interesting memorial which 
the citizens of Louisville take pride in preserving, 
since there are few relics of the sort left, and it may 
be the only remnant of this kind which still remains 
—an authenticated fragment of the Old South. 

On the outskirts of the town is the old cemetery, 
where several Revolutionary patriots sleep. The 
new cemetery, adjoining the recent school campus, 
contains the mortal remains of some of Georgia’s 
most distinguished sons. In 1923, the old town 
commons for a hundred years owned by Louisville 


78 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


Academy, and taken over a few years ago by the 
city of Louisville, was sold at public auction. It con¬ 
tained one hundred and ninety acres, and sold for 
two thousand and fifty dollars. The school is 
housed in a modern brick building situated further 
out, and has a splendid campus, a full corps of 
teachers, and every facility for teaching. The old 
school building has been torn down and moved. 
After the capitol was moved to Milledgeville, the 
state house was turned over to the county of Jeffer¬ 
son. It was used for some years as county court 
house, but became so dilapidated it was necessary to 
replace it which, in 1894, was in turn replaced by 
one of the handsomest court house buildings in the 
state, at a cost of $50,000. 

In excavating for the present court house the 
foundation of the old state capitol was disclosed, 
and by singular coincidence, corresponded with the 
plans for the new building. A slight skirmish 
occurred here on the last day of November, 1864; 
some Federal foraging parties were driven into 
camp by a small force of Wheeler’s cavalry. Col¬ 
onel Langley was sent out with four regiments and, 
after the exchange of a few shots, the Confederates 
slowly retired. The casualties were trifling on both 
sides. 

In the office of the ordinary, Judge Jas. F. Brown, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


79 


and Clerk of the Court, Mr. Waller Murphy, there 
are many old and valuable papers, some of which are 
as old as the county. Land grants from King 
George, ancient wills, lists of beneficiaries of land 
lotteries just after the War of the Revolution, and 
many interesting documents whose value increase as 
years go by. These records, so well kept, and the 
halo of chivalry and patriotism that linger around 
those early days of our county’s beginning, are leg¬ 
acies of immortal worth to the present generation. 

WADLEY 

In the year 1873, Mr. William Donovan operated 
a saw mill near the Central Railroad and put down 
a wood or tram road running from his mill to the 
point on the railroad now known as Wadley, then 
called “Shake Rag”. Mr. Donovan saw that this 
would be a good shipping point in the future and 
conceived the idea of building a town. As he and 
Judge A. E. Tarver owned the lands on both sides 
of the road for a mile, he got the judge interested 
and made liberal offers to the Central Road if suf¬ 
ficient side tracks were put in to accommodate the 
business. A deed to 100 feet of land from the cen¬ 
ter of the track on both sides, of sufficient length to 
hold all side-tracks, was given by these two men. 
The Road built a freight house, put in side-tracks, 


80 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


and made this a full station for all purposes. Later 
they built a passenger waiting room and put in tele¬ 
graph equipment. 

Then the little city must have a name. Mr. Don¬ 
ovan was a good friend of Mr. William Wadley, 
the president of the Central Railroad, therefore he 
gave it the name of Wadley. Lots were staked and 
sold at public auction. Mr. Tarver built a store 
house, and the first merchant in the town was S. L. 
Peterson. Mr. J. A. Spann built a dwelling and 
small store and occupied them. In 1874, Murphy 
and Bedingfield built a store and did a general 
merchandise business for several years. Lots were 
sold on Main Street, and the town slowly grew. 

A short line of Railroad reaching from Wadley to 
Louisville was surveyed and completed. Mr. Wil¬ 
liam Donovan gave lumber and a lot for a school 
building, and Mr. George Johnson, citizen of Wad¬ 
ley, taught the first school. Mr. T. S. Calhoun gave 
a lot for the Methodist church, and Mr. William 
Donovan gave the lot on which the Baptist church 
stands. 

The Wadley Southern, and Stillmore Air Line 
connect with the Central at Wadley, making it a 
fine railroad center. 

Wadley has a splendid brick school building, with 
a new brick addition to accommodate the increasing 
number of children. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


81 


Several flowing artesian wells furnish an abundant 
water supply, and a new light plant is being installed. 
Wadley is an important lumber shipping point, and 
has several good mercantile stores, also a bottling 
plant, and a good hotel and bank. It is situated in a 
fine farming section. The people are quiet, indus¬ 
trious and hospitable. 

BARTOW 

Ten miles south of Louisville lies the village of 
Bartow. It is situated on the Central of Georgia 
Railroad, in a fine farming section. The land is 
rolling, furnishing fine drainage. In 1859 there 
were only two dwellings, one just back of the George 
Palmer house, owned now by Lamar Smith, which 
was occupied by the overseer of the railroad con¬ 
struction force. The other house was near where 
the school house stands, and was occupied by Mr. 
William Spier, who kept a commissary for the rail¬ 
road hands. During this year Reverend Russel 
Johnson and Mr. Marcus Evans came over from 
Burke county and Mr. Johnson bought the home of 
Mr. Spier while Mr. Evans occupied the little house 
used by the railroad man. They opened a mercan¬ 
tile business and the next year began building col¬ 
onial homes side by side. Both of these homes were 
used for many years to entertain traveling guests. 


82 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


The first year Rev. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Evans 
came over to this place which was then called Spier’s 
Turnout, they began plans to have a school. Mr. 
George Palmer, a young graduate of Emory Col¬ 
lege, was secured, and boys and girls came from the 
surrounding country to board and go to school. An 
epidemic of typhoid fever in i860 claimed Mr. 
Johnson’s oldest son, Alex, as victim, and his was 
the first grave made in the cemetery. The war in¬ 
terfered with the school but as soon as possible it 
was resumed. 

A better name for the place was being sought, and 
this was furnished by the death of General Bartow 
at the first battle of Manassas, July 21, 1861, who, 
when he left home said, “I go to illustrate Georgia”. 
So Spier’s Turnout became Bartow. 

Two sons of Mr. William Spier were brought 
home to sleep on their native soil and are buried in 
one grave. They were not killed in the same battle 
but at the same time, and their bodies reached home 
together. 

In November, 1864, Sherman’s army came, and 
tore up the railroad, and for a few years the country 
around was desolated, as Bartow was in the main 
path of the army, being near the old Savannah road. 
Soon, however, the town began to resume a more 
normal condition. Business improved, the school, 


HISTORY OP JEFFERSON COUNTY 


83 


taught for so many years afterwards by Judge J. K. 
Kinman, flourished. In the 8o’s Mr. W. C. Smith 
built a hotel and large store, also a Methodist 
church, across Williamson Creek a mile south of 
Bartow, and for a few years business centered in the 
new site, but soon returned to North Bartow. 

The Methodist Church was torn down and moved 
to its present situation, and the Baptist congrega¬ 
tion who also had a church across the creek near the 
bridge, sold it and built a new church on its present 
site. A few years later, Mr. H. E. Smith planned a 
new school house, for which bonds were sold and the 
house built. This in turn has been moved from the 
campus and given to the negro school, and a modern 
one story building erected, for which $45,000 bonds 
were sold the past year. 

The town owns and operates an electric light 
plant, has a dozen or more private artesian wells, a 
daily bus line to Augusta, a strong bank, several 
good mercantile houses, guano mixing plant, two 
gins and being the center of the finest farming sec¬ 
tion of the world, enjoys an immense trade. 

The religious and social life of the town has been 
its trade-mark. Bartow sent out one foreign mis¬ 
sionary to Brazil, Miss Elizabeth Murphy, a 
granddaughter of Judge A. E. Tarver, who himself 
was a faithful member of the Primitive Baptist 
church. 


84 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


A page from the memoirs of Capt. Ike Herman, a 
native of France, who espoused the cause of the 
South during the War Between the States, gives 
some incidents about Bartow in the spring of 1864. 
The hospital in Atlanta, at whose head stood Dr. 
Crawford, had run out of provisions and Mr. Her¬ 
man, who was a patient there, but able to do some 
duty, was appointed by Dr. Crawford to go on a 
foraging expedition. He gave Mr. Herman ten 
thousand dollars of new Confederate bills, in de¬ 
nominations of five to one thousand dollars. The 
currency had deflated and they did not expect the 
money to buy much, but the the Central Railroad 
kindly gave two box cars, and stationed one each at 
Bartow and Davisboro. By advertising in the coun¬ 
ty papers, and by word of mouth, the news was car¬ 
ried far and near. Mr. M. A. Evans was active in 
gathering up supplies for this car as well as all dur¬ 
ing the war. Mr. Herman gave a partial list of the 
largest contributors. Mr. Warren of Louisville 
sent a four-horse wagon load of flour, free of 
charge; Judge Tarver sent a heavy load of meats, 
chickens, eggs, butter, etc. Mr. B. G. Smith sent a 
hogshead of hams, shoulders and sides of meat 
nicely cured, 100 pounds of lard, chickens, eggs and 
sweet potatoes; in fact the farmers of that section, 
all well to do, vied with each other as to who could 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


85 


do the most. The car was filled with the choicest 
provisions, all given freely; Mr. Herman was not 
allowed to pay for anything. Many poor women 
would bring their last chicken, and refused to take a 
penny, saying they were sorry they could not do 
more. Old linen tablecloths were ravelled, and bags 
of lint and bandages were brought. That night the 
car was forwarded to the hospital in Atlanta with 
special instructions as to the perishable goods, and 
the money that was sent for food was returned to 
Dr. Crawford to buy sheets and other things for the 
wounded men. 

In years to come, stories of the World War will 
be told around fire-sides—but the horror is too re¬ 
cent to dwell on the subject much now. Bartow 
women, as well as thousands over the land, met day 
after day, to knit, and cut garments and sew and 
pray. To the mothers who had boys in camp or 
over seas, each stitch was a prayer—but so many 
were mercifully spared the agony of waiting for one 
who never returned. 


MOXLEY 

Moxley is a little station on the Louisville and 
Wadley Railroad about half way between the two 
towns. It is an attractive rural community, with a 
good school, and Methodist and Baptist churches. 


86 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


A small modern dairy is located here, managed 
by Mr. Craig Carswell, and owned by him and his 
sister, Miss Helen Carswell, whose face and gentle 
ministrations have brought cheer to many sick 
rooms. 

Farming is the chief occupation, with some lum¬ 
ber industry. The people live well, are happy and 
contented. 


STAPLETON 

Stapleton was first a country post office known as 
Spread Oak, and this was shortened to Spread. It 
is located in the 1460 Militia District, at the junction 
of the Georgia and Florida, and Savannah and 
Atlanta railroads. 

In 1885, when the Augusta, Gibson, and Sanders- 
ville railroad was built, now known as the Georgia 
and Florida, the name was changed to Stapleton in 
honor of Col. James Stapleton. 

At that time there was only one store and a few 
homes. The town was incorporated in 1906, and 
has steadily increased in population, which at pres¬ 
ent is about five hundred. Financially and morally 
the town ranks far above the average. In the his¬ 
tory of the town and community there has never 
been a murder committed among the whites. 

This is an agricultural section, and is considered 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


87 


among the best farming lands in the country, lying 
on a ridge which is the highest point in the county. 
The chief crops are cotton and grain; the lumber 
industry has rapidly increased in recent years. 

In 1888 a school building was erected. Later 
this was found to be inadequate for the needs of the 
community, and in 1916 a modern brick building was 
erected on a hill overlooking the town. Eight acres 
of land was donated for a campus by Mr. James 
Stapleton. Stapleton has the distinction of having 
the only brick building in the county and possibly in 
the state, built by voluntary subscription. There is 
no bond indebtedness against her school building. In 
the recent mental tests of schools made by the state, 
Stapleton ranked first in the county. 

There are two churches, Methodist and Baptist. 
Among the first settlers of this community was 
George Stapleton, Sr,, who served throughout the 
Revolutionary War, and is buried at his home place 
near here on land granted him by the government 
for war service. The place has never been sold, and 
is still in possession of his descendants, J. T., J. D. 
and S. J. Dickson. 

George Stapleton, Jr., served as major in the war 
of 1812 under Gen. Andrew Jackson. After the 
war he retired to his home in Stapleton and was a 
successful planter. At the close of the Civil War, 


88 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


when Pres. Jefferson Davis was fleeing from the 
Federal troops, he passed through this section, and 
his horse being jaded, he exchanged it with Major 
Stapleton for a fresh one. At the time of Mr. 
Davis’ capture the horse was in his possession. For 
thirty-three consecutive years, either in the Senate 
or House of Representatives, Major Stapleton rep¬ 
resented Jefferson and Warren Counties in the legis¬ 
lative halls of our state. He was ordained to the 
ministry in 1865. Col. James Stapleton, son of 
Major George Stapleton, Jr., and grandson of 
George Stapleton, Sr., served his country as lieu¬ 
tenant and captain in Confederate Army, and was 
promoted to rank of colonel. He served in the leg¬ 
islature sixteen years. In 1877 he was ordained to 
the ministry and served several churches until the 
time of his death. 

The town was in the line of Sherman’s march to 
the sea, and the usual plunder of homes and stock 
was suffered. A small skirmish occurred here in 
which one Yankee was reported killed. One of the 
early residents of the town was Captain I. F. Ad¬ 
kins, who served as captain in the Civil War. For 
a number of years, until his death, he was county 
surveyor. Others were Captain Douglas, J. T. 
Glover, Sr., T. J. Dickson, W. R. Hammet, James 
Denton, Aaron Denton, W. E. McNair, S. M. Me- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


89 


Nair, William Clark, Jasper Vining and W. T. 
O’Neal. One of the prominent men of the town is 
David Denton, who served as lieutenant under Gen. 
Stonewall Jackson, in the army of Northern Virgin¬ 
ia. He was noted for his generosity, and it was large¬ 
ly through his efforts that the Baptist church was 
built. Also he was the largest contributor to the 
new school building. 

STELLAVILLE 

Stellaville, like several rural communities, grew 
into a town with the church and school as the life 
center, May 15, 1817. Years before the school 
came into existence, a Baptist church was built near 
Brushy Creek and called Darcy’s Meeting House. 
This was later changed to Way’s Church, and is one 
of the strongest country churches in the county. It 
has been served by the most noted Baptist ministers 
in the state, among whom, none were more beloved 
than Dr. W. L. Kilpatrick, who was pastor there 
for a long period. The congregation soon realized 
the need of Christian education, and discussed plans 
looking toward that end. 

In 1868 Mr. Elkanie Rogers gave a good sized 
tract of land adjoining the church lot, on which a 
two roomed frame building was erected, and called 
The Stellaville High School. Homes were built 


90 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


near the school, and families moved into them, 
boarding pupils who came from adjoining counties 
and South Carolina to attend this school, which 
took rank at once for its high ideals, and the Chris¬ 
tian character of teachers and pupils. The best 
teachers possible were secured, men with strong 
Christian characters. Rev. Milton A. Clark who, 
afterwards for thirty years, was a missionary and 
teacher for the Indians in Indian Territory, now 
Oklahoma, and Prof. V. T. Sanford, of the San¬ 
ford family of Mercer University, were among the 
teachers. O. C. Pope, Prof. Spurgeon Jackson, and 
Mr. H. E. Smith taught there also. An appreciable 
percentage of pupils who were in this school under 
those teachers developed into fine Christian char¬ 
acters. 

Commencement occasions were events to be re¬ 
membered, lasting three days and nights. Large 
crowds of people attended, and dinner was served in 
the grove each day. A sermon by the best preachers 
that could be obtained, and a literary address by 
some brilliant lawyer, were features of marked in¬ 
terest. There was only one house in Stellaville 
when the school was established, and that was the 
dwelling of Mr. Bill Way for whom, through his 
generous benefactions, the name of the church was 
changed from Darcy’s Meeting House to Way’s 
Church. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


91 


Being off the railroad, it was never much of a 
business place, but the people were noted for their 
Christian character and abundant hospitality. It 
was said by Dr. Kilpatrick that in a radius of four 
miles there were more refined Christian homes, and 
better educated people than any place he knew. One 
event in the school life of the higher classes in the 
year 1872 will be recalled with amusement. The 
teachers decided to take the older pupils to Stone 
Mountain. They had to go in wagons to Thomp¬ 
son; there a train was chartered. It was an im¬ 
portant occasion. The young men of the school 
bought beaver hats to wear. By the time they all 
got back home, the young men were disgusted with 
beavers, as covered wagons and crowded trains were 
no places for such head-gear. 

The church and the school worked for the good of 
the people, and so were a success. The old school 
building was burned in 1878, and a two-story house 
erected which has been improved and remodeled. 
Mr. Joe Oliphant built the first framed house near 
Stellaville in Jefferson County. When the school 
house was remodeled in 19 2 the Woman s Club 
assisted in many ways by salvaging old window 
sashes—repairing them, painting the building inside 
and out. The men gave days of work. When the 
school was first established, John Jones, Joshua Jor- 


92 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


dan, John Brinson and Noah Smith were largely in¬ 
strumental in maintaining the school, which for a 
long time was the only High School in the county or 
in this section, outside of Louisville. 

The town was first called Sistersville, but in 1871 
the name was changed to Stellaville, for Stella 
Brinson, the young daughter of John Brinson. It 
was incorporated as a town in 1892. One of the 
most loved men of the town was Dr. J. W. Pilcher, 
who literally gave himself, time and talent for the 
good of the community. A P.-T. A. works quietly 
but efficiently in school and community. The leading 
industry is agriculture. 

MATTHEWS, AVERA 

Matthews, and Avera are important towns of 
several hundred inhabitants each and situated on the 
Georgia and Florida Railroad. They each have a 
fine school system, several mercantile houses and a 
bank. 


WRENS 

According to our oldest records, the land now 
embracing the town of Wrens was first owned by 
John Wren, grandfather of W. J. Wren, Sr. Tra¬ 
dition has it that he traded for the land, giving two 
blind horses, valued at $25.00, as full payment for 
the same. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


93 


During this early period the community center of 
this section was Pope Hill, an inn on the stage line 
of the old Quaker road leading to Savannah. 

Wrens as a town had its beginning in 1884 with 
the building of the Augusta Southern railroad. At 
this time W. J. Wren, for whom the town was 
named, built a home here and a store. Dr. C. H. 
Raley, W. H. Beall, C. J. Fleming and others locat¬ 
ed here and the Wrens community life began its 
growth. 

The town is located at the physical junction of 
the Augusta Southern, now the Georgia and Flor¬ 
ida, and the Savannah and Atlanta railroads, 32 
miles from Augusta, 120 miles from Savannah and 
148 miles from Atlanta. It is also on State High¬ 
way Routes, number 17 and number 24, Federal 
Routes, number 1, Woodrow Wilson Memorial 
Highway, Jeff Davis Highway, and Cotton Belt 
Highway. The town is just above the meeting of 
the Piedmont and Tidewater regions, on the great 
divide between the Savannah and Ogeechee rivers. 
This location gives it an altitude 300 feet higher 
than Augusta or Columbus, no feet higher than 
Macon or Milledgeville, higher than Athens and 
about the altitude of Rome. A resident physician 
said that if his practice depended alone upon the 
sickness of Wrens, he would starve to death. 


94 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


Among the first buildings erected in Wrens was a 
building for the public school. For several years 
this building served the double purpose of church 
and school. The first church built in Wrens was 
built by the Associate Reformed Presbyterians in 
1895, and the first sermon delivered in Wrens was 
preached by Dr. D. G. Phillips, Sr. The Baptists 
built a church in Wrens the following year, and the 
Methodists located a church here in 1904. 

As the town has grown in population it has grown 
in industry. The first suction gin of Jefferson Coun¬ 
ty was located in Wrens in 1896. In 1900 a large 
roller flour mill was built in Wrens, a woodwork 
factory was added. And later to these industries 
were added a cotton seed oil mill, a machine shop, 
an ice factory, a lumber factory, a Coca-Cola 
bottling plant, etc. 

Wrens has two depots, two automobile stations, 
stores, wholesale and retail, cotton warehouse, 
hatchery, and a weekly paper, The Jefferson Re¬ 
porter. The town is supplied with artesian water, 
and has electric current both for power and lights. 
The substation of the Aiken Railway and Electric 
Corporation is located here, also the exchange of 
the Bell Telephone System. 

Perhaps the outstanding growth of Wrens has 
been in its school. Wrens Institute was organized 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


95 


in 1899 an d was accredited as a high school in 1909. 
In addition to the regular high school courses it now 
offers vocational work in Teacher-training, Home 
Economics and Vocational Agriculture. It has a 
faculty of fifteen teachers and an alumni of 340 
members. The present school building was built in 
1919 at a cost of $65,000.00. 

In its short history Wrens has grown to a pop¬ 
ulation of 1,250, and is now the trade center of an 
extensive section so that such corporations as the 
Standard Oil Co., the Coca-Cola Co. and similar 
organizations are making it the distributing point 
for their products. 

At this time the Georgia Cotton Growers Co¬ 
operative Association is locating in Wrens one of 
their Community Centers, and the Woodrow Wilson 
Highway is being paved through the town. 

Location and healthfulness, a progressive people 
with the spirit of co-operation and Wrens has be¬ 
come a good town. 


ZEBINA 

Zebina, a town on the Savannah and Atlanta 
Railroad, is a rural school center—Matthews is on 
the Georgia and Florida railroad and has a good 
school system. 


96 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


BETHANY 

Just a mile north of Wadley is the small village 
of Bethany, an almost forgotten town, once the 
centre of culture, and a type of ante-bellum refine¬ 
ment. A large two story building in the middle of 
a spacious campus sheltered the school, presided 
over by some notable educators, among whom were 
Capt. Jack Cheatham and Col. James K. Kinman. 

A Methodist church was near the campus and, in 
1868, one among the first District Conferences was 
held here, at which time there was a great revival. 
Bishop Pierce and his father, Dr. Lovick Pierce, 
were among the pulpit orators. Great crowds at¬ 
tended, bringing provisions and using unoccupied 
rooms and dwellings, and the occasion was like a 
camp meeting. 

During the war Mr. S. Z. Murphy, who had 
charge of the orphans in Savannah, refugeed with 
them to Bethany. Afterwards he made his home 
there. Capt. Eli McCroan, Messrs. Milledge and 
Nelson Murphy were also residents of Bethany. 
The Donovan brothers, Tim and William, lived in 
and near the town. Dr. William Hauser, Mr. Wil¬ 
liam Gary, Rev. J. M. Cross and Mr. William 
Brown were all residents of this quiet, peaceful, lit¬ 
tle town, in which the spirit of the old-time South 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


97 


was shown in the exquisite courtesy and courtly man¬ 
ner of men and women of that day. 

Later the town of Wadley, on the main railroad 
line, attracted the people, who gradually moved 
there or elsewhere, and now, with the exception of 
a few scattered homes, the place is a forlorn settle¬ 
ment, though tied to the heart-strings of many, be¬ 
cause it is the hallowed ground where rest the re¬ 
mains of loved ones. 




History of Jefferson County 


War Between the States 


By 

W. L. PHILLIPS 


One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, 
Never doubted clouds would break, 

Never dreamed tho’ right were worsted, wrong would triumph 
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake— 

— Browning. 







Picture taken in 1863 of Jefferson County soldiers who were at home 
on sick leave. The Confederate uniform is shown. 




CHAPTER II 


WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 


By W. L. Phillips 



HISTORY of Jefferson County would hardly 


be complete without giving some data as to the 
part played by the county in that momentous strug¬ 
gle, the War Between the States, but strange to say 
no one has ever given us any local information as to 
Jefferson’s part in that most ferocious war of all 
history, and its stirring scenes are now so far back 
in the past that it is almost impossible to get first¬ 
hand information regarding it. Even those who 
have reached the days allotted by the Psalmist, three 
score and ten, were then too young to recall now 
what transpired in the sixties. More than half a 
century shields those awful days from the glare of 
real truth, and softens the memories that brood 
over them. But never in the history of all time will 
the world know or see again such a terrific struggle 
as that of the sixties. Georgia, as a State, stood 
most prominent in the stirring debates and public 
utterances of the years just preceding this great con¬ 
flict, because some of the most prominent and able 
men of that day were largely Georgians. The ques¬ 
tion of secession became a burning one and the most 


( 101 ) 


102 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


prominent men of Georgia were arrayed on both 
sides of it. During the year i860 several Southern 
States actually seceded from the Union and it be¬ 
came a serious question as to whether Georgia 
should take such action. In January, 1861, a Con¬ 
vention was held in Milledgeville, the capital of the 
State, at which this question was the all-absorbing 
topic. At noon, on Monday, January 21st, 1861, 
the Secession Ordinace was finally passed by this 
Convention. One of the most prominent members 
of that Convention was the member from Jefferson, 
Hon. Herschel V. Johnston. Hon. George Staple- 
ton was the other member from Jefferson. They both 
signed the Ordinance when finally passed, but the 
most bitter and forceful foe of the Secession move¬ 
ment was Ex-governor Johnston. He spoke against it 
and worked against it, and voted against it, with all 
the energy and eloquence of his soul, but when finally 
outvoted, he accepted the ruling of the majority, and 
signed the Ordinance as passed over his most earn¬ 
est protest. All other members did the same except 
six. These six signed the Ordinance as passed, but 
with their signatures they also filed their protest, 
which was made a part of the proceedings of the 
convention. 

Georgia being the most prominent State at the 
time which had not already passed such an Ordi- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


103 


nance, her action was at once accepted by common 
consent as the signal for war. In fact, the war clouds 
were already fast gathering. Col. Alexander R. Law- 
ton, of Savannah, commanding the First Regiment of 
Georgia Volunteers, under orders from Governor 
Joseph E. Brown, who was at that time Governor of 
Georgia, had taken possession of Fort Pulaski. This 
was done on January 3rd, 1861, and the Ordinance 
of Secession was not passed until seventeen days 
later. Confederate and Federal preparations for 
war were being carried on rapidly, and it was less 
than six months before Jefferson County organized 
her first company to take active part in the great 
fratricidal conflict which was soon to drench the 
land with blood. On June 14th, 1861, Jefferson 
County organized her first company. It was known 
as “Jefferson County Guards,” Company C, 20th 
Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry. The offi¬ 
cers were as follows: 

Captain, Roger L. Gamble; 

1st Lieutenant, Willis F. Denny; 

2nd Lieutenants, Joseph H. Polhill (afterwards 
made captain) and R. W. Carswell. 

Captain Gamble was a young physician just com¬ 
ing into prominence in the county, and was at the 
time engaged to a daughter of Richard Brown, a 
prominent farmer then living in the Ebenezer Settle- 


104 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


ment. She was a sister of Mrs. F. A. Sinquefield, 
and an aunt of our fellow-townsman, Col. W. R. 
Sinquefield, and Mrs. W. A. Stone. There was a 
great demonstration in Louisville the day this com¬ 
pany was mustered into service. Captain, or Doc¬ 
tor Gamble as he was more familiarly known, and 
Miss Brown afterwards married. They had one 
daughter who lived to be a young lady, but died 
soon, outliving, however, both of her parents. Lieu¬ 
tenant Denny afterwards became Judge Denny, pre¬ 
siding over our first county court in Jefferson County 
after the war. 

R. W. Carswell, 2nd Lieutenant, after the war, 
became judge of the Superior Courts of the Middle 
Circuit, and was known as a very prominent and 
successful lawyer also. He died while judge of our 
Superior Court. Captain Polhill, who still lives, 
and is the only surviving officer of all the companies 
organized in Jefferson County, has been in very 
feeble health and has not been able to leave his 
home for several years; but while in health and 
strength was one of the most prominent lawyers of 
this section of the state. He was at one time a 
member of the State senate and representative of 
our county. It is unfortunate that he was not in¬ 
duced to give first-hand information of Jefferson’s 
part in that great struggle, while in his vigor and 
strength. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


105 


The next company organized in Jefferson was 
known as “Jeff Grays”. It was Company I, 28th 
Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry. 

The second company was organized Sept. 10th, 
1861, with officers as follows: 

Captain, J. G. Cain, afterwards Judge of County 
Court of Jefferson County and a lawyer of promi¬ 
nence in the State; 

1st Lieutenant, Isaac F. Adkins, afterwards Coun¬ 
ty Surveyor of the county for many years. 

2nd Lieutenant, James Stapleton, for whom the 
present Town of Stapleton was named; a prominent 
and successful farmer. 

2nd Lieutenant, Augustus J. Pughesley, a physi¬ 
cian for many years. 

The next company was organized on Oct. 1st, 
1861, and known as “Battey Guards,” Company G, 
38th Regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry. 

The officers of this Company were: 

Captain, William H. Battey, who was killed in 
the battle of Sharpsburgh in September, 1862. 

1 st Lieutenant, John W. Brinson, who became 
prominent in politics in Jefferson County after the 
war, and was a great political leader. 

2nd Lieutenant, Issac C. Vaughn, who practiced 
medicine and farmed in the county for many years 
after the war. 


106 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


2nd Lieutenant, L. W. Farmer, Jr., who was 
killed in the battle of Spotsylvania, May 12, 1864. 

The next company organized in Jefferson was 
known as “Jefferson Volunteers,” Company E, 48th 
Regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry. 

Organized March 4th, 1862. Officers as follows: 

Captain, R. W. Carswell, elected lieutenant col¬ 
onel. Captain Thomas N. Polhill, killed at Gettys- 
burgh July, 1863. 

1st Lieutenant, W. A. Spier, killed at Chancellors- 
ville, May, 1863. 

2nd Lieutenant, William J. Smith. 

2nd Lieutenant, Jeremiah Winter, Jr. 

What was known as the “Grubbs Hussars” was 
organized in July, 1861, and was composed largely 
of Jefferson County men, but men from both Burke 
and Emanuel were connected with this company. 

This company was known as Company F, Cobb’s 
Legion, Georgia Cavalry. Malcolm D. Jones of 
Burke county was Captain. 

F. A. Sinquefield followed by Thomas Pierce of 
Jefferson was 1st Lieutenant, and William Boyd 
and Robert McBride of Jefferson were 2nd Lieu¬ 
tenants. 

It would be quite interesting, indeed, to have be¬ 
fore us the names of the men who enlisted in these 
various companies, and likely, some day, we may be 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


107 


able to resurrect, from old and long forgotten reg¬ 
isters, their names, so that many of their descend¬ 
ants may know just who they were and to what com¬ 
panies they belonged, where they served, and how 
they suffered for the cause they loved, and for which 
a great many of them died. It was a noble band of 
brothers which Jefferson contributed to this awful 
war, and it is consoling at least to know that if the 
advice and counsel of that noble son of hers, Ex- 
Governor H. V. Johnston, had been heeded, a dif¬ 
ferent record might have been written. 

How earnestly and eloquently did that great 
quartet, Johnston, Stephens, Means and Hill, plead 
with the convention in the dawn of the sixties for 
conservatism and moderation, and picture the out¬ 
come if their advice should go unheeded! Their 
judgment has been written into history as prophetic 
facts. No greater or more eloquent defender of the 
Union has ever lived than Jefferson’s own son, H. V. 
Johnston. 


History of Jefferson County 


Historical Sketch 


By 

HON. WARREN GRICE 


“God save our native land and make her strong to stand 
For truth and right. 

Long may her banner wave, 

Flag of the free and brave! 

Thou who alone canst save, 

Grant her Thy might.”— J. H. Seebye. 





Historic marker before Court 
House commemorating the burn¬ 
ing of Yazoo Fraud papers. 



CHAPTER III 


HISTORICAL SKETCH 

By Hon. Warren Grice 
(We are glad to present this speech in written 
form to the people of Jefferson county. Those 
hearing Mr. Grice on the occasion of the unveiling 
of the historic marker at Jefferson county court 
house were much impressed with the scholarly dis¬ 
course and felt that the result of so many hours of 
research should be preserved in a permanent form. 
The address is given in full:) 

O n the chalk hills of Dover, near the English 
channel, there may be seen even at this day the 
carved figure of a gigantic horse, placed there cen¬ 
turies ago as a reminder of the Danish invasion, and 
of the heroic conduct of the English at that time. 
Once a year the people of that locality make a pil¬ 
grimage to the cliff, and take with them their chil¬ 
dren, and together they cut away the undergrowth 
that springs up annually and which tends to obscure 
the equestrian figure that typifies the heroism and 
the patriotism of their ancestors; and they fight the 
erosion that blurs the clear-cut outlines, in order 
that the picture may stand forth in all its pristine 
( 111 ) 


112 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


clearness and beauty and grandeur, to make sure 
that they and those that should come after them 
shall not forget the record of their sires. 

We do well to take the time, once in a while, to 
cut away the underbrush and to check the erosion 
that with the passing years may tend to obscure the 
true picture of one of the high spots in Georgia’s 
history; and if a restatement of the facts surround¬ 
ing that episode be but repeating what you already 
know, it may serve nevertheless to re-kindle your 
own patriotism to contemplate again the acts and 
some of the actors that move across the scene that 
is commemorated by this tablet unveiled here today; 
for in every age of the world and among all peoples, 
memory of the heroic deeds of the past have afford¬ 
ed a strong incentive to the succeeding generations 
to do well their part. 

It is well that we come with uncovered heads to 
this spot, for we stand upon ground hallowed by the 
deeds of brave men with hearts not only stout, but 
true. 

For ten years this was Georgia’s capital. The 
first legislature met here in 1796. The last one, 
probably in 1806. 

Here convened two Conventions of the people of 
Georgia. The first, the Convention of 1795, pre¬ 
sided over by Noble Wimberly Jones, and in which 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


113 


sat Josiah Tattnall, Jr., Thomas Gibbons, Joseph 
Clay, Jr., John Weareat, David Emaneul, Silas 
Mercer, and Stephen Heard. The second was the 
Convention of 1798. In it were James Jackson, 
James Jones, Thomas Spalding, Mathew Rabun, 
Peter Carnes, Jared Irwin, Arthur Fort, William 
Stith, Mather Talbott, Benjamin Taliaferro, and 
Jesse Mercer. They and their co-laborers framed a 
constitution—here at Louisville, almost on this very 
spot—under which Georgia experienced her golden 
period. It was the organic law until 1861, when we 
had to form another because we then became a part 
of a new government. 

Georgia’s Governors who from Louisville steered 
our ship of state were Jared Irwin, Josiah Tattnall, 
and John Milledge. Governor Irwin and Governor 
Milledge each serving more than one term. 

Here resided the Governors and the State House 
officers. Here gathered the big men of the State 
who laid deep and imperishable the foundations of 
Georgia’s future glory. Here policies were deter¬ 
mined. Here governors were made, and unmade. 
Here met the untrammelled representatives of a 
free people to discuss Georgia’s affairs. Here were 
set in motion thoughts that made their impress on 
generations yet unborn. 

In those early days of the Republic, a State was a 


114 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


sovereign. Its government had control of the in¬ 
ternal affairs of the people. There were still in life 
many of those who had framed the Federal Con¬ 
stitution, and there also yet lived the spirit of those 
w r ho had framed it. They knew the true character 
of the Federal Government. They knew that it was 
not intended to make of sovereign States mere 
provinces, or subdivisions of a nation. They knew 
that except as to those few matters which the States 
could better handle through a joint agent, the people 
could be better ruled, when ruled at home under 
laws made by the State. The sessions of Congress 
were therefore short. The people did not look to 
the Federal capital for the passage of laws which 
affected them internally, but to the Legislatures of 
the several States. The result was that the big men 
of the State, upon entering public life, filled the state 
offices. And here at Louisville, for ten years, they 
met, and wrought, and set in motion tides that have 
left their marks upon the shores of time. 

The first state house ever erected by this Com¬ 
monwealth was here. This is the first place which 
Georgia designated as the permanent capital. The 
most dramatic scene in the public life of our State 
took place on this spot. 

What Georgian isn’t interested in Louisville 
where the real beginnings of our statehood were 
had? 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


115 


This tablet will not only remind those who come 
after us that here stood Georgia’s first permanent 
capital, but it specially commemorates a certain act 
that took place on this spot. 

By an Act approved January 26, 1786, Nathan 
Brownson, William Few, and Hugh Lawson, Es¬ 
quires, were appointed Commissioners with the 
power to proceed to fix a place for the seat of the 
public buildings, provided the same be within twenty 
miles of Galphin’s old town; and to purchase a tract 
of land for that purpose, and to lay out a part there¬ 
of into lots, streets, and alleys, the town to be known 
by the name of Louisville. 

These Commissioners proceeded with their duties. 
There were delays due to lack of funds and the 
death of the contractor, so that the public buildings 
were not finally completed until March, 1786, 
(Knight), but by the Constitution of 1795 the new 
town was designated as the permanent capital. 

The .three men who “laid out” the town of Louis¬ 
ville and who were charged with the duty of seeing 
that the necessary public buildings were erected, and 
who therefore became in a sense the founders of 
Louisville were themselves a distinguished trio. 
Hugh Lawson was the son of a North Carolinian 
who before the Revolution settled in what is now 
Jefferson county. The son was a captain in the War 


116 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


of Independence, was frequently a member of the 
General Assembly from this County, a leader in the 
politics of the State and progenitor of many dis¬ 
tinguished Georgians who have served her well from 
that day to this. Nathan Brownson was a resident of 
Liberty County. He was a physician, a graduate of 
Yale, a member of the Provincial Congress of Geor¬ 
gia, twice a member of the Continental Congress, and 
Governor of Georgia, besides filling with credit a 
number of other important offices. William Few 
was a partisan officer of Georgia troops during the 
Revolution, a member of the Executive Council, a 
delegate to the Continental Congress, Judge of the 
Superior Court in the early days, and a United States 
Senator from Georgia in the first Congress. 

When Louisville was made the capital, it stood 
near the eastern boundary of the red men’s hunting 
grounds. The white settlements at that time were 
only the coast counties and a narrow strip west of 
the Savannah river. Louisville was really almost a 
frontier settlement. Practically speaking, all west 
of here, all the mountainous part of the state, most 
of the wiregrass section, all of southwest Georgia, 
was a primeval forest. Nominally, the treaty of 
Paris in 1783 left Georgia in possession of a great 
expanse of territory stretching from the Savannah to 
the Mississippi. But of this region only a small por- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


117 


tion was actually settled and possessed by the citi¬ 
zens. Our lands beyond the Chattahoochee were 
known as our western lands, or Georgia’s western 
territory. 

It was a day of large land speculations. Robert 
Morris, known to us as the financier of the Revolu¬ 
tion, invested his whole fortune in wild lands, own¬ 
ing at one time in western New York more acres 
than there are today in the whole state of Connecti¬ 
cut. James Wilson, another signer of the Declara¬ 
tion, and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the 
United States, was another large land speculator. 
John Marshall, the eminent Chief Justice, and his 
brother had bought up the Lord Fairfax lands in 
western Virginia—a tract large enough for a king¬ 
dom. Many others had gone wild on the subject of 
buying up large bodies of lands and speculating upon 
them. It seemed to be the favorite way in which to 
invest fortunes. It amounted almost to a craze. 

There were three different Acts passed by the 
Georgia legislature purporting to sell those lands. 
The first was in 1789, the sale being to foreign land 
companies, instead of to a company of Georgians, 
whose bid was rejected, although they offered a 
larger price. The Act required payment to be made 
in specie by a time, and the purchasers having failed 
to fully comply with their bid, the sale was not com¬ 
pleted. 


118 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


At the session of the legislature in November, 
1794, held at Augusta, proposals were again made 
by several parties for the purchase of the western 
territory of Georgia. In narrating the passage of 
the bill through the legislature, and its final approval 
by the governor; the feeling it aroused over the 
state, and the passage by the subsequent legislatures 
of the Rescinding Act; and the dramatic spectacle of 
the burning of the records, I am using the account 
found in Bishop Stevens’ History of Georgia. 

The matter was referred to a joint committee of 
both houses. The majority reported in favor of a 
sale—and a bill was introduced to sell the lands to 
“The Georgia company,” “The Georgia-Mississippi 
Company,” “The Tennessee Company,” and “The 
Virginia Yazoo company.” 

An amendment was proposed, adding to these 
“The Georgia Union Company” composed of Gen¬ 
eral Twiggs, William Few, John Weareat, William 
Gibbons, Jr., et al ., who made certain proposals to 
the committee for a tract of land supposed to con¬ 
tain at least twenty-three million acres and for which 
they offered the sum of $500,000.00. 

The committee to whom was referred this last 
proposal reported “That an examination of the 
boundaries of the district proposed to be purchased 
by the above named gentlemen and their associates, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


119 


it appears to be composed of the two districts pro¬ 
posed to be purchased by the ‘Georgia,’ and the 
‘Georgia-Mississippi companies,’ and no more! 
that the sum offered is $90,000.00 greater than that 
offered by both the other companies; and that the 
new company proposes to reserve for the citizens 
double the amount indicated by the other companies; 
and they submit the advantages and disadvantages 
of each to the decision of the House.” 

The application of the Georgia Union Company, 
notwithstanding their larger offers and more liberal 
reserves, was however rejected. 

Various amendments were offered to this bill by 
those opposed to this measure, but they were sever¬ 
ally voted down by a steady and determined majority 
and the bill was passed and sent to the governor for 
his signature. 

The governor vetoed it (the first time a Governor 
of Georgia had ever vetoed a bill), his objections 
being seven in number: 

1st. The time had not arrived for disposing of 
the territory; 

2nd: The sum offered is inadequate; 

3rd: The quantity reserved for the citizens is too 
small; 

4th: Greater advantages are secured to the pur¬ 
chasers than to the citizens; 


120 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


5th: So large an extent of territory disposed of to 
individuals will create a monopoly and will retard 
settlement of the lands; 

6th: One-fourth at least of the lands should be 
reserved for future disposal by the state; 

7th: That if public notice were given that the 
lands were for sale, probably more would have been 
offered therefor. 

Upon reading the Governor’s veto message a 
Committee was appointed to confer with His Ex¬ 
cellency. A conference was had, and without meet¬ 
ing by any means the more potent objection con¬ 
tained in his dissent, another bill was brought in with 
slight modifications. While the new bill was pend¬ 
ing “The Georgia Union Company” again addressed 
a letter to each branch of the Legislature, enclosing 
proposals for purchasing the whole of the territory 
specified in the vetoed bill, and offering as consid¬ 
erations for the same “a deposit (by way of for¬ 
feiture) of $40,000.00 in bills of exchange on Phila¬ 
delphia, at double usance, with indisputable en¬ 
dorsers; to pay to the State the residue of the pur¬ 
chase money, amounting, in the whole, to 
$800,000.00 on or before December 1, next; prom¬ 
ising to reserve 4,000,000 acres to the State to be 
disposed of as this or a future Legislature shall 
direct, and also to reserve 4,000,000 for the citizens 
themselves. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


121 


Through the influence of the agent of the other 
companies, this proposition by which so many and 
greater advantages would come to the State, met 
with as little favor as their former petition. The 
Legislature goaded on by an outside pressure not 
easily withstood within three days after bringing 
in the old bill slightly modified, passed the same; 
the scruples of the too pliant Governor were over¬ 
come, and on the 7th of December the bill received 
his signature, and became the law of the land. And 
35,000,000 acres were granted for $500,000.00 or 
less than two cents per acre. The greatest real 
estate transaction in history. 

It may well be supposed that such an act could not 
pass without calling out earnest remonstrance and 
decided opposition. Among the earliest remon¬ 
strants were Wm. H. Crawford and other citizens 
of Columbia county, who even before the bill was 
signed by the Governor, prayed that he would “neg¬ 
ative the said bill in due form inasmuch as we do 
conceive it to be bad policy to give a grant to the 
company purchasing before the full amount of pur¬ 
chase money is paid; that if a grant should be given, 
the grantees may refuse to give a mortgage; and 
even if they should, it can only be foreclosed in that 
part of the State where the territory in question 
doth lie; and lastly, whenever the territory is sold, 


122 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


the price would be greatly enhanced by giving notice 
to all the citizens.” 

This petition expressed the views of many citi¬ 
zens. Others objected to the bill because they were 
thereby to a great extent debarred from participat¬ 
ing in the grand speculation of the several com¬ 
panies. Others, because they held that there was 
no necessity so urgent as to require this enormous 
sacrifice of territory; and others still because they 
saw in the bill only the legalizing of an immoral 
swindling scheme to rob the State of her invaluable 
lands for the benefit not of her citizens in general, 
but of a few bold and unscrupulous speculators who 
were willing to advance their own fortunes upon 
the ruin and dishonor of the State. 

The people as soon as they heard of the passage 
of this bill and began to discuss its merits and under¬ 
stand its provisions, were aroused to a sense of the 
great injury which had been done to their own inter¬ 
ests; and as there was developed to them, step by 
step, the various means and bribes and machinations 
which were set to work to bring over or buy over 
the several members of the legislature to vote for 
these measures, their indignation rose higher and 
higher, and vented itself in presentments of grand 
juries, in violent newspaper warfare, in stinging per¬ 
sonal invective and insult, in threats of corporal vio- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


123 


lence and in scenes of actual bloodshed and death. 

The whole state was heaving with excitement. 
The bribery which had been so openly used by men 
high in offices on the bench, at the bar, in the senate; 
and the corruption, intrigue, intimidation, and vio¬ 
lence which had been employed to gain over the 
legislature to the plans of the speculators constitute 
a dark page in the political history of Georgia. 

A new legislature was elected. Jared Irwin was 
chosen to succeed Governor Mathews. The house 
of representatives appointed a committee to examine 
and report respecting the validity and constitution¬ 
ality of said act, etc. 

The committee was composed of James Jackson, 
William Few, James Jones, John Moore, David 
Mitchell, James H. Rutherford, David Emanuel, 
- Frazier, and George Franklin. 

This committee entered upon their duties with 
promptness and energy. They met indeed with 
many obstacles and were threatened with violence 
by the enraged advocates of the supplemental bill; 
but they were not the men to be intimidated by 
threats of assasins or turned aside from their duty 
by the impotent rage of those whose iniquities were 
recoiling upon their own heads. 

On January 22, General Jackson, for the com¬ 
mittee, reported that they were compelled to declare 



124 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


that the fraud, corruption, and collusion by which 
the said act was obtained, evinced the utmost de¬ 
pravity in the majority of the last legislature; and 
they brought in a bill to rescind the act. The bill 
was passed by a vote of forty-four to three in the 
house, and fourteen to four in the senate and was 
concurred in by the Governor on February 13, 1796. 

The first clause declared the act to be null and 
void : 

The second clause orders the act to “be expunged 
from the face and indexes of the books of record of 
the State; and the enrolled law or usurped act shall 
then be publicly burnt, in order that no trace of so 
unconstitutional, vile, and fraudulent a transaction, 
other than the infamy attached to it by this law, shall 
remain in the office thereof.” 

The third clause declares that none of the laws, 
grants, deeds, respecting any contracts under the 
law, shall be admitted in evidence. 

The fourth clause requires the return to the com¬ 
panies of the payments made by them to the State 
Treasurer. 

The fifth clause asserts that to the State belongs 
the right of extinguishing the Indian title to the 
land. 

The sixth clause requires this law to be promul¬ 
gated by the Governor throughout the United States 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 125 

in order to prevent frauds on individuals, so far as 
the nature of the case will admit. 

On January 25, General Jackson, as Chairman of 
the investigating committee, reported to the house 
sundry affidavits “in the corruption practiced to ob¬ 
tain the Act,” and by resolution of the house “all 
such proofs relating to the fraud and corruptions 
practiced to obtain the act for the disposal of the 
western territory” were to be entered in the Journal 
of the House “in order that the testimony so given 
may be perpetuated, as well for the satisfaction of 
the legislature and to show the grounds on which 
they proceeded as to hand down to future legisla¬ 
tures the base means by which the rights of the peo¬ 
ple were attempted to be bartered.” Accordingly 
some twenty affidavits, showing more or less fraud, 
were spread on the Journals. 

Two days after the Act was concurred in by the 
Governor, both branches of the Legislature adopted 
a report, presented by the Committee to whom was 
referred the mode by which the records were to be 
expunged of all traces of the described Act, and the 
Act itself burned, suggesting “that where it can pos¬ 
sibly be executed without injury to other records, the 
same shall be expunged from the book of records, 
by cutting out the leaves of the book wherein the 
same may have been recorded; a memorandum there- 


126 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


of expressing the number of pages so expunged, to 
be signed by the President of the Senate and Speak¬ 
er of the House of Representatives, and to be coun¬ 
tersigned by the Secretary and Clerk, which mem¬ 
orandum shall be inserted in the room or place of 
such expunged pages, in such manner as the Presi¬ 
dent and Speaker may direct. That where records 
and documents are distinct and separate from other 
records, the same being of record shall be expunged 
by being burnt. That the enrolled bill, and usurped 
Act, passed on the 7th day of January, 1795, shall, 
in obedience to the Act of the present session, be 
burnt in the square, before the State House, in the 
manner following: A fire shall be made in front of 
the State House door, and a line to be formed by 
the members of both branches around the same. The 
secretary of state (or his deputy) with the com¬ 
mittee shall then produce the enrolled bill and 
usurped Act among the archives of the State, and 
deliver the same to the President of the Senate who 
shall examine the same, and shall deliver the same to 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives for 
like examination; and the speaker shall then deliver 
them to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, 
who shall read aloud the title of the same, and shall 
then deliver them to the Messenger of the House, 
who shall then pronounce: 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


127 


“ ‘God save the State! And Long Preserve Her 
Rights! And May Every Attempt to injure Them 
Perish, As These Corrupt Acts Now Do!’ ” 

In conformity with this program, the House of 
Representatives the same day sent a message to the 
Senate informing that body that they were ready to 
receive them in the Representative Halls in order 
to proceed to the duty prescribed. The Senate pro¬ 
ceeded to the Hall, and there facing the Representa¬ 
tives marched in procession to the spot selected, 
preceded by the committee bearing the prescribed 
bills in their hands. When they reached the spot 
the fixed program was carried out, and the Messen¬ 
ger, uttering the prescribed words, laid them on the 
fire, and the legislature stood in solemn circle around 
until the documents were burned to ashes. 

Says Bishop Stevens, in his history of Georgia: 

“The scene, aside from the circumstance that fire 
from heaven started the blaze, was sufficiently strik¬ 
ing and impressive. The sudden revolution in pub¬ 
lic opinion in one year, by which the citizens so 
changed their views upon the subject of the western 
territory, was a marvelous reaction in the popular 
mind. The expunging from the records the acts and 
doings pertaining to the bill, the legislative proces¬ 
sion, the solemn appeal to God by the Messenger 
who gave them to the flames and the stillness which 


128 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


marked the few moments which it required to con¬ 
sume them, was a spectacle not only never beheld in 
Georgia before, but unknown to any assembly on 
this continent; and it indicated as nothing else could, 
the intense sense or indignation as the dishonor cast 
upon the state, and the equally intense desire to 
burn out the infamy, purifying as by fire the archives 
of the state from such fraud begotten records.” 

There is a slight tendency now, among modern 
writers, to minimize the “fraud” in the sale of Geor¬ 
gia’s western lands, and to present the view that 
those who sold them for a mere song do not deserve 
the ill fame that has always attached to their con¬ 
duct; and correspondingly, these latter-day writers 
rather make light of those men who in the name of 
the state repudiated that act. But no annalyst of 
those times has produced a single person in life when 
the lands were sold, who justified that bargain, and 
all those who were living at the time and left to pos¬ 
terity their views on the subject, have condemned 
those who participated in the sale, and pictured as 
unselfish patriots those who exposed the fraud and 
who rescinded the act. Wilson Lumpkin, in his auto¬ 
biography, Geo. P. Gilmer, in his “Georgians,” Wm. 
Few, in his autobiography; Charlton, in his Life of 
Jackson; Hardin, in his life of Troup; Chappel, in 
his Miscellanies; McCall, in his History; all these, 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


129 


either themselves lived during those hectic days, or 
else came on shortly afterwards, and knew the men 
who were the actors in these scenes; and their voices 
are unanimous in the condemnation of those who par¬ 
ticipated in the sale of those lands and in the praise 
they bestow on James Jackson and his associates 
who the following year passed the rescinding act. 

All honor to James Jackson! Soldier, legislator, 
United States senator and governor! He resigned 
his place in the senate of the United States and 
accepted a seat in the general assembly of Georgia in 
order to lead this fight. Where would we look for 
his counterpart? Whoever else resigned a place in 
the hall of embassadors for one in the Georgia legis¬ 
lature? What could have been his motive except 
such as proceeds from a sense of duty? All honor 
to his name! 

Would that we had an exact reproduction on can¬ 
vas of the scene enacted here on the 15th day of 
February, 1796. Some one I know has attempted it. 
He may be sure that the goodly company stood 
under stately trees. Among them were the faithful 
David Emanuel, subsequently to serve as governor; 
and Peter Earle, brilliant congressman and judge 
and governor; and Benjamin Taliaferro, soldier, 
congressman and judge; and David Meriwether, 
many times a congressman after a brilliant service 


130 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


in the Revolutionary army; and D. B. Mitchell, 
three times governor, and John Milledge, governor 
and United States senator, and Thomas Glascock, 
soldier and patriot; and Jared Irwin, warrior and 
statesman, and at this particular time, governor of 
the state; and William Few, mention of whom has 
already been made; and James Jackson. Doubtless 
the honor of actually drawing from heaven the fire 
that should be applied was conferred on James Jack- 
son. Over there is the parchment. Surrounded by 
the governor, the senators, with fellow representa¬ 
tives, he extends his good right arm—that same arm 
that held the sword when at the head of his legion in 
the Revolutionary war. In his hand is the glass— 
the same hand with which he received the surrender 
of the city of Savannah when the British siege was 
ended. He holds the sun glass between the sun and 
the dishonored paper. The rays focus, the heat 
from the orb first warmed, then heated, then 
browned, then set fire to the paper. A blaze burst 
forth. To ashes turned the original act. The deed 
is done. The crime has been set at naught. 

Was there cheering? Were the sombre counte¬ 
nances of the onlookers changed? History was 
made, and an event had taken place that was des¬ 
tined to be referred to as often as Georgia history is 
studied; and there was closed the most dramatic 
scene in our historic pages. 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


131 


Did I say the scene was closed? Not so. Many 
of those who lobbied for the measure and who 
voted for it were by the force of public opinion liter¬ 
ally driven out of the state. Many a brilliant career 
was cut short by participation in the Yazoo fraud. 
On every stump in Georgia, James Jackson and T. 
U. P. Charlton, David B. Mitchell, John Milledge, 
George M. Troup and William H. Crawford shout¬ 
ed from the housetops “Down with the Yazoo men” 
—and down they went to ignominy and to oblivion. 

I said that history was made here at Louisville. 

Referring to the statement in the Contsitution of 
1798, that no bill or ordinance shall pass containing 
any matter different from what is expressed in the 
title thereof, Chief Justice Lumpkin, in the case of 
The Mayor and Alderman of the City of Savannah 
&c. vs. The State, &c., 4th Georgia, 26, 34, says: 

“I would observe that the traditionary history of 
this clause is that it was inserted in the Constitution 
of 1798, at the instance of General James Jackson, 
and that its necessity was suggested by the Yazoo 
Act. That memorable measure of the 17th of Jan¬ 
uary, 1795, as is well known, was smuggled through 
the Legislature under the Caption of An Act ‘for 
the payment of late State troops’ and a declaration 
in its title of the right of the State to the unappro¬ 
priated territory thereof ‘for the protection and sup- 


132 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


port of its frontier settlements.’ This was the first 
time a provision of that sort appeared in any Con¬ 
stitution. Today it is contained in the organic laws 
of every State in the Union, except a few States in 
the New England group, (McElrath, Section 75).” 

What else affecting the course of history, grew 
out of the Act providing for the sale, and the Act 
rescinding the former Act? 

The great case of Fletcher vs. Peck (6th Cranch, 
87), decided by the Supreme Court of the United 
States, at the February Term 1810, decided that the 
rescinding Act was unconstitutional, ruling that a 
law, annulling conveyances, is a law imparing the 
obligation of contracts within the meaning of the 
Federal Constitution and therefore null and void; 
and Fletcher against Peck, a feigned issue, in all 
probability, tried first in a Massachusetts Court, was 
a history making decision—one of the great, out¬ 
standing landmarks of our jurisprudence—was 
brought about by the passage of the law rescinding 
the sale of our own Yazoo Lands. No other decis¬ 
ion by that great Court has been cited oftener than 
has Fletcher vs. Peck. 

Of this recision, Warren, in his history of the 
Supreme Court, (Volume 1, page 392) says: 

“It aroused vivid and excited interest throughout 
the country and vitally affected the course of politi- 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


133 


cal and economical history . . . not only was 

this the first case in which the Court held a State law 
unconstitutional, but it also involved legislation which 
had been the subject of bitter controversy and vio¬ 
lent attack for over fifteen years in the State of 
Georgia and in the Congress of the United States.” 

The Yazoo Companies never obtained possession 
of the lands (Brown vs. Gilman, 4 Wheat, 255, 

259)- 

They sold, or pretended to sell, to various per¬ 
sons, portions of these lands, who in turn pretended 
not to know of the fraud attending the sale and 
claimed to be innocent purchasers. They clamored 
for a settlement. 

Finally, Georgia ceded in 1802 her lands west of 
the Chattahoochee to the Federal Government. 

This placed within the sphere of the Federal 
authorities the whole problem of quieting the Yazoo 
claims. 

“The owners of claims of the Yazoo lands pe¬ 
titioned Congress again and again for the enforce¬ 
ment of their rights, or at least for an equitable 
compromise, but nearly a decade passed without any 
substantial progress toward a settlement. 

“President Jefferson thought that the claims were 
not valid, but that it would be good policy to ar¬ 
range a compromise in order to avoid troublesome 
litigation in equity . 


134 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


“John Randolph vigorously supported by Troup 
of Georgia and other Southerners, took the ground 
that any interference by the Central government in 
the matter would constitute an infraction of the 
rights of the State of Georgia. By this line of argu¬ 
ment and by copious villification of the bribe-giving 
Yazoo speculators, Randolph caused congress to de¬ 
fer action year by year from 1804 to 1814. 

“The judiciary remained as the only branch of the 
government from which the claimants might obtain 
assistance. The nationalist attitude of Chief Justice 
Marshall was well known, and his action could be 
foretold regarding the claims, if any litigation 
should bring them within his province. The holders 
of the Yazoo strip at length saw the futility of their 
routing petitions to congress, and adopted a scheme 
to obtain a declaration of the Supreme Court in 
favor of the validity of their claims. Accordingly, 
they made up the case of Fletcher vs. Peck, which 
was brought before the Court in 1809.” 

(Phillips, in his “Georgia and State Rights”, 
pages 35, 36.) 

“In view of the decision of the Supreme Court, 
Randolph’s majority in the House of Representa¬ 
tives diminished until in 1814, a Senate bill was con¬ 
curred in which provided for a compromise with the 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


135 


Yazoo claimants by appropriating five millions of 
dollars from the Treasury.” 

(Phillips, page 37.) 

Such in outline is the history of what we know as 
the Yazoo Fraud, and some of the things which fol¬ 
lowed in its wake. 

What are the lessons we get out of it? 

First, let us not be indifferent as to the character 
or intelligence of those in whom we place political 
power. 

Second, let us be sure that righteous public opinion 
will in time punish those who are not faithful to 
their trust. 

The bright page in our history, so far as this 
whole subject is concerned, is the way in which the 
public was aroused, and in which the public con¬ 
science was brought into action, and the fact that 
there were men ready to take up the fight for Geor¬ 
gia and to carry it to a successful conclusion. In 
that we can take pride, but pride in the past is a 
vague and empty thing unless we see in the panorama 
of dead days an incentive to future effort—unless 
we catch an inspiration therefrom that will impel us 
to emulate the great deeds of those who have gone 
before—unless we get therefrom a firm resolve to 
act nobly our part in the affairs about us—unless 
taking courage from their trials and problems and 


136 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


success, we renew our faith in first principles, and re¬ 
dedicate our own lives to faithful and efficient and 
unselfish service to our State and to our fellowman. 

You do well, Madam President and ladies, to 
mark this spot. You do well to commemorate the 
site of the first real capital of Georgia before whose 
doors were destroyed by fire the Yazoo Fraud pa¬ 
pers. You do well to perpetuate the thought that 
no man and no set of men can be faithless to the 
trusts committed to them without in the end bring¬ 
ing down on their heads the shame of their contem¬ 
poraries and the contempt of posterity. 

Let the tablet stand for all time to turn men’s 
attention to that dramatic scene enacted here on the 
fifteenth day of February, 1796, and with it the 
lessons that it teaches.— The News and Farmer . 


History of Jefferson County 


Jefferson’s Part in the World 



“Take up our quarrel with the foe 
To you from falling hands we throw the torch 
Be yours to hold it high; 

If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders fields.” 

















CHAPTER IV 

JEFFERSON COUNTY'S PART IN THE WORLD WAR 


(^TORIES of the past, songs of “Old, unhappy, 
far-off things and battles long ago,” arouse emo¬ 
tions too deep for tears. The glories of the past are 
not dimmed by the sordidness of familiarity, and the 
every day things of life cannot detract from the 
heroes of old for “Charmed magic casements open¬ 
ing on the foam of perilous seas, in faery lands for¬ 
lorn” seem more beguiling because they are among 
the distant, far-off things. Are we so modest that 
our generation can only find super-men in the past 
and heroes two generations removed? 

Modesty suggests that Cour de Leon seems finer 
than Cooledge, and King Arthur a greater general 
than Pershing, but in our heart of hearts we know 
that all history will testify that the bravest soldiers 
and most gallant defenders are the boys of our gen¬ 
eration, members of the American Expeditionary 
Forces. 

Through the years Jefferson County has contrib¬ 
uted her quota of stalwart sons for the defense of 
the nation. This section of the State is noted for its 
fearless fighters and big-hearted men, which is the 
prized heritage of the Old South. Such men were 
( 139 ) 


140 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


first to offer themselves to their country when the 
freedom of the seas was questioned and when the 
ideals of self-government were involved. Making 
the world safe for democracy was no hollow phrase 
to the grandsons of men who, fifty years before, had 
died for State’s Rights. Jefferson County boys 
hastened into service, offering to make that sacrifice 
that is old as jealousy and greed, and is the hostage 
demanded by the monster, War. 

The World War occasioned more suffering to 
non-combatants and a greater death toll than any 
war in history; but God was good to the people of 
Jefferson County in that only a very small percent¬ 
age of the men in uniform were killed. 

Sergeant Ransom S. Rabun, whose home was 
near Wadley, was a victim of the World War. He 
served on the Mexican border in 1916, was later 
attached to Company M, 28th Infantry, First Divis¬ 
ion, A. E. F., with which unit he embarked for over¬ 
seas service Jan. 14th, 1917. Was wounded in 
action and died in a field hospital near Soissons, 
France, as a result of his wounds July 21, 1918. The 
Jefferson County post American Legion is named 
for Sergeant Rabun who was first from the county 
to be killed in action. 

Matthews, besides sending her quota of soldiers 
to the World War, honors the memory of one of her 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


141 


bravest boys, Thomas Lewis Gay, who died from 
pneumonia in France, November 22, 1918. Avera 
also holds in tender love and honor the memory of 
Henry G. Irby, another hero who was a victim of 
that terrible scourge of the American Army camps, 
influenza, and died at Brest hospital, France, Oct. 
7th, 1918. 

James Adams, who made the supreme sacrifice 
May 27, 1918, was reared in Stapleton community. 
He was a direct descendant of George Stapleton, 
Sr. When the news of his death came, his mother, 
Mrs. Eason, wrote to the War Department for 
some token showing that it was really her son who 
was killed, and in reply she received a blood-stained 
letter, the last one she wrote to her boy, which was 
found on his body. 

From the company of fine boys going out from 
Bartow, there was one who seemed to radiate cheer 
and brightness wherever he moved; perfect in 
physique, lovable in disposition, making friends with 
every one he met, Arlie Claxton was the ideal soldier 
and when, at the battle of Argonne Forest, October 
14, 1918, he made the supreme sacrifice, Georgia 
and Jefferson added another hero to her already 
long list. A year later his body was returned, with 
hundreds of others to America, and sleeps in the 
family lot at Nails Creek Church. 

Willie Roy Dereso was also from Bartow. His 


142 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


home was in the country, but he was sent from this 
town into service in the World War, June 27, 1918. 
Embarked for overseas Sept. 14, 1918, contracted 
pneumonia at Portsmouth, England, and died Sept. 
28, 1918, none the less a hero than if he had sur¬ 
rendered his life in battle. 

Clifford Johnson was also a victim of the World 
War. The Ontranto, the vessel on which he was 
being shipped overseas, was wrecked off the coast of 
Ireland and he died a hero and martyr to the cause 
of freedom. 

This was a terrible toll to pay. We shed tears 
for those who fell on the fields of France, those who 
died in the line of duty and we bow our heads and 
hearts in thanksgiving, that walking our streets and 
doing a man’s work in the world are surviving heroes 
whom it is our privilege to see and know and call our 
friends. 

As the year 1918 wore toward a weary close the 
number of Service Stars in Jefferson County homes 
increased. Younger boys went into service and the 
family sewed one more blue star on the white field 
of the Service Flag and re-hung it proudly in the 
window of the home. In several homes a blue star 
was replaced by a gold star for a son killed in 
France. This period was the most trying for the 
family of the enlisted men. Every day brought 
news of death and disaster. German guns were 


HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 


143 


always booming and the contending armies were 
close together. There was never a doubt of the 
ultimate outcome of the conflict, but the terrible 
price of victory seemed appalling, particularly to the 
wives and mothers at home. 

No account of the war could be even briefly given 
without a tribute to the folks at home who were 
largely responsible for the unbroken morale of men 
in service. The women knitted socks and sweaters, 
rolled bandages, bought Liberty Bonds, gave to 
Y. M. C. A. drives and wrote newsy, cheerful letters. 
At ten o’clock every night in Louisville the electric 
lights were cut off for one minute’s silent prayer for 
the boys at the front. A deeper spirituality was 
manifest throughout the county, and this tended to 
bring the people closer together. Overseas mail 
was, in a way, common property and news of neigh¬ 
borhood boys was read with greatest interest. In 
response to Woodrow Wilson’s proclamation a day 
of prayer was observed (May 30th) during the long 
German drive in the year 1918. 

Jefferson County people donated over fourteen 
thousand dollars to the United War Work in 1918, 
which was far over the quota set for the county. The 
quota for every war drive for Louisville and the 
county was carried well over the top by the folks at 
home. The spirit as well as the letter of the law 
was observed in food conservation and wheatless, 


144 HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY 

meatless, sugarless meals were the rule. Hon. J. R. 
Phillips, of Louisville, was a “Dollar a year” man, 
so designated by Hon. Herbert Hoover to plan 
and execute food conservation in this section of the 
State. 

A token of patriotism manifest during the war, 
and one to which the town people point with pride, 
was the fact that every man in Louisville volun¬ 
teered for war duty before the selective draft went 
into effect and not a person from Louisville was 
drafted. 

The Red Cross did a splendid work. Money was 
raised again and again. Hours were spent in roll¬ 
ing bandages, cutting surgical garments and in sew¬ 
ing in any way that was presented. Meetings were 
held in the Court House every week and boxes of 
bandages shipped to Red Cross headquarters. The 
people spared neither time, money nor energy. This 
time spent every week was in a way an humble con¬ 
tribution to the great cause, but we must remember 
that “they also serve who only stand and wait”. A 
wonderful spirit was manifest by the people. A 
glorious light of unselfish patriotism glowed in the 
hearts of the brave boys in the khaki uniforms and 
the same flame burned in the hearts of those who 
kissed them and sent them forth to fight that gov¬ 
ernment of the people, by the people, and for the 
people should not perish from the earth. 





















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